By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Indiana Correspondent MAYFIELD, Ky. — GenCanna officials gathered with local and regional dignitaries on a 34-acre tract outside Mayfield on Feb. 21 to officially break ground for construction of the company’s 220,000 square-foot hemp processing facility. Upon its completion for the 2019 harvest season, the plant is expected to be the largest facility of its kind in the state of Kentucky. It will employ more than 80 workers in various capacities and have the capability to process 10,000 acres of harvested hemp into popular cannabidiol (CBD) oil. “The Western Kentucky community continues to be extremely supportive of GenCanna. We are appreciative of the support and are excited to be breaking ground on our first-class facility for our network of hemp growers to bring their crops to,” said Chris Stubbs, GenCanna chief science officer. GenCanna is a vertically-integrated ag technology company specializing in the production of hemp rich in CBD. The company was an inaugural member of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Industrial Hemp Pilot program and the first participant dedicated to researching and commercializing hemp-derived CBD in the state. GenCanna has an existing facility across the state in Winchester, near Lexington, on nearly 150 acres formerly used by a multinational tobacco firm as a research facility. At that facility, which began operation in May 2014, GenCanna said it has conducted groundbreaking research and commercialization of key hemp processing methods and product development, resulting the creation of more than 60 jobs and $20 million in economic impact. In January, the company announced it had developed non-GMO hemp genetics with zero percent THC through research developed at the University of Kentucky. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis associated with marijuana. "Our OC:00 genetics are virtually free of THC and will give both industry participants and industry onlookers confidence in compliance as they work to deliver new solutions from the hemp plant," said Steve Bevan, GenCanna president and chair of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, in January. "We built GenCanna to develop a scalable supply of CBD products that meet the strictest quality and safety standards, and our work with the University of Kentucky (UK) is another step towards us fulfilling that mission." The company's partnership with UK is led by GenCanna Global Development Director Henri Marmillion and UK professor David Hildebrand. Their shared research includes multiple areas of focus beyond the zero percent THC announcement. To continue advancement in the field of hemp research, GenCanna is sponsoring fellowships for UK master's and Ph.D. students focusing on genetic improvement of hemp for enhanced CBD levels, metabolic engineering to increase production of minor cannabinoids, remote cannabinoid analysis and variety development and characterization for certified seed production. Derrick Davis, whose family farms in Harrodsburg, Ky., has been selected as the master's candidate focusing on variety development and characterization for certified seed production. Jia Tan, from Minnesota, has been selected as the doctoral candidate focused on genetic improvement of hemp for enhanced cannabinoid levels. Stubbs said the company has outgrown the Winchester facility, and western Kentucky offers a region with larger, flatter plots, greater use of precision agriculture and more opportunities for diversification. "There have been some wonderful mechanisms here to work with local tobacco farmers. Their experience from growing and raising tobacco is very similar to growing hemp. The successes we've seen have been economically impactful for farmers that have struggled for years," he said. He said GenCanna has been pleased with the partnerships it’s formed with local producers, and looks forward to forging more. While CBD oil has been the primary product, he said GenCanna also has worked to find ways to leverage all parts of the plant for other uses, such as fiber. Although hemp has been legalized on a national basis, Kentucky was among the states with pilot programs before that. The new processing facility "means more processing infrastructure providing markets with reliable supplies using Kentucky-grown products," said Chad Rosen, immediate past president of the Kentucky Hemp Industry Assoc. Rosen described GenCanna as an innovative firm taking a leadership role in the hemp industry in the commonwealth. "We're at an exciting crossroads both in Kentucky and nationwide, with the recent legalization of hemp," said Samantha Anderson, UK extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Graves County. "It's nice to see new opportunities in agriculture. A lot folks are excited for the future of hemp. There's been a lot of interest. "The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has done an outstanding job of advocating for the Kentucky farmer.” |
