The Kentucky Department of Agriculture hosted a Kentucky Hemp Forum on April 8 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, followed by a tour of Kentucky growers and processors.

Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles announced that sales of Kentucky hemp products in 2018 were more than 3½ times higher than the previous year and that the amount that farmers were paid for their harvests more than doubled.

In a meeting of the state House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 6, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles told legislators about the rapid growth in the number of industrial hemp growers and acres, the effects of the 2018 farm bill, and a conflict with a social media giant.

Kentucky farmers are exploring industrial hemp, a crop that connects Kentucky’s past to its future. Kentucky businesses are taking that raw material and turning it into products.