Is Hemp Page County's “Crop of the Future”?

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April 12, 2018
Page County Economic Development Authority

Who:               Page County Farmers Association in cooperation with the Page County Economic Development Authority
What:              An Informational Forum: Is Hemp Page County's “Crop of the Future”?
When:             Thursday, April 26, at 7pm
Where:            Luray Fire House
                                   

Sponsored by a grant from the Page County Economic Development Authority, the Page County Farmers Association will present an informational forum, “Industrial Hemp: Crop of the Future?” at the Luray Fire House at 1 Fire House Lane, in Luray, on April 26, 2018, at 7 p.m.. The program is free and open to the public.
 
Featured speakers for the evening are Dr. James Renfroe, a James Madison University professor and JMU's lead researcher in industrial hemp, and Glenn Rodes from Riverhill Farms in Port Republic. Mr. Rodes has extensive experience in growing, harvesting, processing, and selling industrial hemp using existing farm equipment.
 
With a long history as a major crop in Virginia, hemp was Virginia's largest cash crop until it was banned in the 1930s. In recent years, the Virginia legislature has legalized growing hemp for research through licensed universities. This program offers Virginia farmers the opportunity to prepare to enter the growing global hemp market.
 
Although it is the same species as marijuana, hemp has no hallucinogenic or recreational properties.  The United States currently imports the product from countries around the world. The multi-million dollar industry produces fiber, food, oilseed, construction materials, automotive products, and pharmaceuticals.
 
In 2017, U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte co-signed the Industrial Hemp Farming Act to legalize hemp production at the national level.
 
Our two speakers will discuss:
—the history of hemp in Virginia
—how to grow it
—how to process it
—the ways we could build a regional market
—the current legislation to further legalize it.
 
The forum and hot dog dinner are free of charge and open to all.
 
RSVP: jdedman@pageforbusiness.com or jay.dedman@gmail.com
 
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The mission of the Page County Economic Development Authority is to improve the welfare of the citizens of Page County, to promote the County's economic growth and development, and to promote industry and develop trade. The Authority's nine members represent the County's three incorporated towns, appointed by the respective councils, and five administrative districts and one at-large member,  appointed by the Page County Board of Supervisors. The Authority, a separate and legal entity from Page County, is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, meeting at the Page County Government Building at 5:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month.
 
http://www.pagecounty.virginia.gov/295/Economic-Development-Authority-EDA