Waco Reporter

WACO – At least 200 Texas farmers assembled at the Texas Farm Bureau in Waco last Wednesday to discuss methods of earning funds by growing hemp crops on their land, as initially reported by KCEN-TV 6.

After Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1325 in 2019, the production, manufacture, retail sale, and inspection of hemp products became possible in Texas. However, hemp is not able to be grown legally in the state without the proper approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller collected public feedback on the state’s 90-page hemp plan during the meeting.

"You can’t tell this crop from marijuana, so it’s going to have to have some oversight,” Miller told KCEN-TV 6. "We're going to make it as much as we can non-regulatory, but it’s going to have some. It’s not like cotton or corn."

Farmers are hoping to obtain their hemp growing licenses by March.

The 2019 Farm Bill allows certain states to submit official plans for administering hemp programs to be approved for legalized hemp production.