Bowling Green hosts annual Kentucky Hemp Industries Association Conference

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- People from all over the country were in Bowling Green Thursday to learn more about hemp, at the Kentucky Hemp Industries Association conference at the Western Kentucky University Ag-Expo Center.

It was a time for people to learn more about the industry that has taken off in Kentucky since the passing of the Farm Bill, which made hemp federally legal last year.

Attendees at the conference sampled hemp products that are popular in the industry today, such as oils and skin creams. Western Kentucky University professor, Dr. Paul Woosley lead talks on the latest industry research.

“Well there’s been more interest now than ever with the passing of the farm bill, which makes the crop federally legal to grow now. Also, we’re getting time coming up in May and June to plant industrial hemp, so farmers are trying to gather as much information as they can,” said Woosley.

Hemp is now federally legal, but that hasn’t stopped it from being stigmatized and lumped in the same category as marijuana.

“After the farm bill we still see challenges in banking insurance, credit card transactions, international commerce, customs and border control are all some of the ongoing challenges we have to work with as these markets open up,” said John Taylor, president at Commonwealth Extracts.

Industry professionals agree that while there are still some challenges, the future of hemp in Kentucky is bright.

“I think it looks very bright. We can’t grow it fast enough. I’m looking for a larger machine, and we’re currently expanding operations. I see very good things for us as a state,” said Taylor.

The sold- out event drew in hundreds of attendees. Many hoping to be a part of what has quickly become a booming industry.

“I would say that we’re still young, we’ve only been around for 5 years. It’s still a very young industry, but we have seen exponential growth. I doubt you could find a single company here at this conference who hasn’t seen just amazing growth,” said Kathryn Robertson, vice president of external relations at GenCanna.

 Bowling Green is home to several stores that sell hemp products such as oils, creams and coffee.