Come autumn, you'll see fields of green on the Oneida reservation.
Amid changing tides for hemp in Wisconsin, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin will grow the crop this summer as part of a state pilot program geared toward exploring its myriad uses.
And for the tribe, the possibilities seem endless.
"It’s kind of crazy how many things you can make with hemp," said Ernie Stevens III, a member of the General Tribal Council.
Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant that contains very little THC, the active ingredient in pot. Wisconsin was once the second-largest producer of hemp in the United States, but production halted after the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 began classifying all forms of marijuana, including hemp, as a Schedule I drug.
The plant began to reemerge in 2014 when the federal government permitted states to allow growth under pilot programs with universities or state agricultural departments. The feds also distinguished hemp from marijuana, defining it as a plant with less than 0.3% THC.
That measure allowed former Gov. Scott Walker to OK a pilot program for Wisconsin farmers in 2017, which has issued over 1,400 grower licenses and 672 processor licenses since its onset. Another 227 grower licenses and 123 processor licenses are pending approval.
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