Dave Singletary's grassy plot of land off Highway 49 in Florence, owned by his family for more than a century, was once home to pigs and cows. Now the 63-year-old former gubernatorial candidate has a new agricultural commodity in mind: hemp.
"This doesn't take a rocket scientist," Singletary explained on a recent tour of the property. "This is putting a seed in the ground and growing it." Singletary is among 250 Mississippi farmers approved to grow hemp by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since August. Licensing began shortly after state lawmakers voted in June to legalize the crop.
"You need a natural spring," Singletary explained, wearing a cap that read "Don't panic, it's organic" surrounding a pot leaf. "The plants like natural water. You ain't gonna water them with chlorinated water and get a bountiful harvest. This will be the secret to my success."
Singletary plans to be growing 30 acres worth of 8-foot-high hemp plants within three years. After talking with hemp growers in Louisiana and Arkansas, he said he expects to spend about $15,000 per acre on costs such as drip irrigation, fertilizer and spray that eradicates mold — a necessary ingredient thanks to Mississippi's high humidity levels.
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