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Illinois ag department expects more hemp production this year

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is expecting more hemp production in the state this year, IF the weather is more favorable.

Jeff Cox with the department says Illinois approved licenses for nearly 650 growers and over 21,000 acres in 2019, but they won’t know how much was actually planted and harvested until later this month.

“I would estimate about 50% of that was actually planted and then probably 50% of that was harvested.”

Cox tells Brownfield very few of the nearly 200 processors they licensed last year got up and running, but he expects a good increase in processors this year.

“That is because nobody really knew where this market was going and it is quite an infrastructure cost to become an active processor. Some of the equipment is not cheap.”

Cox says he has heard from many growers who had a bad experience in 2019, but plan to try again in 2020.  He says the EPA’s approval of herbicides and pesticides for hemp will be very helpful this growing season.