Hemp Growing Program Starts On Former South Windsor Tobacco Land

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — The town, a local farm and a private enterprise are teaming up for a pilot program to test how hemp grows on old tobacco land.

The South Windsor Town Council was briefed on the process in a special meeting last week. Town Manager Matthew Galligan said Tuesday the pilot program is under way and involves 20 acres of former tobacco fields at Kasheta Farms on Main Street. A medical dispensary is already located nearby on Route 5, Galligan said.

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 and the town will kick in $50,000, according to council minutes. The town's contribution could be offset by profits, according to the minutes.

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

Galligan salled the pilot program 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.