Garland Comer, a hemp farmer in Halifax County, was relieved when he got the news that hemp was included in the state’s crop insurance pilot program through a bipartisan effort by the Virginia members of Congress.
Comer, a 34-year old farmer who owns Vernon Hill Farm, has 280 acres of tobacco, 120 acres of corn and 500 acres of soybeans and has added 10 acres of hemp this season.
AgriLogic Consulting is the private company chosen by the Department of Agriculture in the United States to develop a federal yield-based industrial hemp crop insurance program. After the news that Virginia was among the 12 states chosen to be in the pilot program, Comer plans to grow more hemp.
According to Comer, J.T. Davis found out that Virginia was left out of the pilot program, and he called him, Robert Mills and other hemp farmers in Halifax. Together, they made a grassroots effort to be included in the pilot program and they were successful.
Initially, Virginia was not included in the hemp insurance pilot program. This would have given a distinct and overwhelming advantage to farmers in other states such as North Carolina and Kentucky, explained Comer. He further added that hemp farmers take on an unsurmountable amount of risk by planting the uninsured hemp crop.
Comer estimates to have spent $15,000 to $18,000 on the 10 acres of hemp crop on his Vernin Hill farm this season. Since the state is providing crop insurance, he can now increase his acreage.
Davis and employees of J.T. Davis insurance deserve all the credit for their lobbying efforts toward the inclusion of Virginia in the hemp insurance pilot program. Members of Congress in Virginia, such as Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Morgan Griffith, also supported the inclusion by putting pressure on AgriLogic.
In his arguments, Davis said that in Halifax, the stakes are high because the number of hemp growers has increased from 85 to 1000 plus, while the acreage has increased from 135 acres to 11,000 in 2019. He further added that for the state of Virginia to move forward, it needs a risk management program that would help farmers protect their hemp investment. In his argument, he said that estimates suggest that by the year 2020, hemp business will be worth $22 billion. Hemp products will include paper, clothing, food, personal care products, and building materials.
Hemp industry watchers believe industry players like Hemptown USA and HTC Extraction Systems (TSX.V: HTC) would have loved to see more states included in the program, but the pilot program is a lot better than leaving all hemp farmers uninsured.
About HempWire
HempWire (HW) is a dedicated information provider focused on (1) aggregating hemp-related news, (2) issuing HempNewsBreaks designed to update investors on the latest developments in the hemp market, (3) enhancing corporate news releases, (4) providing full-service distribution and social media offerings to public and private client-partners and (5) designing and implementing all-inclusive corporate communication solutions. HW is strategically positioned within the rapidly expanding hemp sector with a team of journalists working to help a growing roster of public and private companies reach a wide audience of investors, consumers and members of the media. We leverage a vast network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets to deliver unparalleled visibility, recognition and content to the hemp industry. HempWire (HW) is where HEMP news, content and information converge.
To receive instant SMS alerts, text HEMPWIRE to 21000 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)
For more information please visit https://www.hempwire.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the HempWire website applicable to all content provided by HW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.hempwire.com/Disclaimer
Do you have a questions or are you interested in working with HW? Ask our Editor
HempWire (HW)
Denver, Colorado
www.hempwire.com
303.498.7722 Office
[email protected]
