Hemp Farming Under Way In South Windsor, No Public Subsidy Yet

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Hemp farming has begun on an old piece of tobacco farmland in South Windsor, but so far, the $50,000 in town money set aside to subsidize it has not been released, the town manager said Friday.

The private enterprise taking part in the operation put on a celebratory news conference this week to showcase the project, dubbed a pilot program to test how hemp grows on former tobacco land. About 20 acres of former tobacco fields at Kasheta Farms on Main Street is being used.

New town manager Michael Maniscalco said Friday he will be working with retired town manager Matthew Galligan to monitor the progress and report back to the Town Council before any public money is relaesed.

Galligan is assisting the town with economic development matters.

In his final weeks at the helm, Galligan said in researching the endeavor, he learned hemp could thrive in the same soil as tobacco. If the program takes off, it could be a "boost" to local farmland, he added. Some council members wholeheartedly agreed.

He said the process to grow the hemp so it produces a "certain quality oil" for "edibles," is complicated. A company called Incredible Edibles has purchased about $100,000 worth of seeds so far and town officials said planting has started.

The Town Council has appropriated $50,000 to bolster the project, according to council minutes. The town's contribution could be offset by profits, according to the minutes. The money could be relased once the progress report is filed, Maniscalco said.

Incredible Edibles is one of a handful of companies that have the "necessary certification" to perform the extraction to certain standards, Galligan said.

Galligan referred to the pilot program as a "high-risk" venture that the town normally does not participate in. He added, though, it could lead to a "big return" that could distinguish South Windsor as a "leader" in the evolving hemp industry.

If the crop thrives and the program is expanded, other local farmland could become involved, he said.