Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate kicked off a state-wide series of listening sessions on Sept. 4 in at the Central Alabama Farmers Co-Op in Selma.
The goal of the sessions was to provide a forum for Pate and the public to meet and discuss current agricultural concerns and department services.
Pate and department staff provided a brief update on department responsibilities and activities. He shared about the success stories of how the department has been able to help Alabama farmers.
He also provided an update on the Hemp Pilot Project and announced that applications for the 2020 growing season will be made available at the Agriculture and Industries website.
According to Pate, “Anyone interested in growing or processing hemp must obtain a license from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. The department accepted applications at the beginning of the year for the 2019 growing season.”
“A total of 182 applications were received and in March, 157 applicants were notified that they qualified to participate in the program.”
He said, “Planting areas were identified on the applications to facilitate required monitoring and sampling of the crop. Even though the 2018 Farm Bill redefined hemp as an agricultural commodity, production fields must be sampled before harvest to ensure that the THC level is below 0.3 percent.”
“So far samples from 45 licensed growers have all tested below the 0.3 percent THC level, the level required by state law.”
Information was also shared about the new state branding program, “Sweet Grown Alabama” by program director Ellie Watson.
Pate told those he saw in Selma that he was “surprised to learn how much his experience as the private business owner Pate Landscape Co. Inc. prepared him for the job as commissioner.”
During the listening session, a few of the concerns expressed were related to trade and the need for skilled farm labor. Additionally, Pate visited several farms in the area including the farms of Wendy and Jamie Yeager in Orrville and Kent & Gray Cogle in Marion Junction.
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