Northeast Tennessee hemp farmer pleased by progresshttp://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Business/2016/06/11/Northeast-Tennessee-hemp-farmer-pleased-by-progress.html?ci=stream&lp=13&p=1After a long overnight shift at an area hospital, Wayne Smith stood in the mid-morning sun looking over his small, hilly field.
In April, he tilled and planted the certified hemp seeds he received from the state last year on only a third of an acre, and of that land, plants of any notable size only grew on one half and along the edges, mostly where the county agricultural extension office advised him to fertilize. Still, Smith was proud of his crop.
“That’s a good example of a plant, right there,” Smith said to his hired hand, Mirko Heber, as he pointed to a 4-foot specimen.
The farmer’s mood is so light because he recognizes the progress. Last year at this time, Smith and 43 other growers in the state were receiving their highly controlled seeds.
Because of the delay in the delivery, blamed by most on the miles of federal red tape wrapping up the shipment of the seeds, Smith believes he missed the optimal planting window last year. The seeds went in the ground well after the spring rains, needed additional watering and had trouble competing with weeds.
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