Village Farms plans to commence hemp cultivation in a portion of its Monahans, Texas, greenhouse operation upon a State Hemp Plan in Texas becoming effective, or earlier if permitted by Texas law. In anticipation of the Texas legislation passing, Village Farms has begun design and development of the site-specific growing and technical systems to enable hemp production at the Monahans facility.
"The descheduling of hemp in Texas is a very encouraging step forward and we would like to publicly acknowledge the efforts of all those working in support of the full legalization of hemp in Texas with thanks in particular to lobbyist Susan Hays and the U.S. Hemp Roundtable," said Michael DeGiglio, Chief Executive Officer, Village Farms. "We look forward to the opportunity to work with officials in Texas toward a roll out of hemp production, including the processing and sale of CBD products."
Mr. DeGiglio added, "With the potential for passage of a hemp bill in Texas by the end of this coming May, we are readying a portion of our Monahans greenhouse to be able to commence production quickly upon legalization. Upon legalization, we also plan to initiate an outdoor hemp cultivation program in Texas through our joint venture Village Fields."
Village Farms Initiates Genetics Testing and Trials to Support Large-Scale Commercial Outdoor and Greenhouse Hemp Production
Village Farms has also initiated a selective breeding program in tandem with genetic testing to support both its commercial scale indoor and outdoor hemp production programs. "The initiative aims to accelerate the development of true-to-type chemical varieties (chemovars), desirable cannabinoid characteristics including high CBD content and low THC levels at crop maturation that are compliant with federally mandated criteria, as well as developing new varieties suitable for specific climates with increased production yields", the company explains.
Additionally, Village Farms' joint venture, Village Fields, has reserved substantive quantities of seed to support the initiation of field cultivation as soon as legally permitted. "We plan to have 500 to 1,000 acres in production during 2019. We also plan to have extraction capabilities in place by the end of 2019 to enable it to begin supplying CBD oil on a wholesale basis while it commences production of branded CBD products for "big box" retailers in 2020. We intend to conduct its operations in locations where it is fully legal to do so on a federal and state level", the company concludes.
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Village Farms
villagefarms.com