Shoshone and hemp

This winter, U of I will work out details of an Extension program with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in southeast Idaho, teaching members how to register to produce hemp through the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and how to grow a successful crop. The tribes plan to raise hemp starting next spring. 

“There has been some interest in growing it but we don’t know how to grow it here in Idaho,” Hutchinson said.

Tim Cornie, co-owner of 1,000 Springs Mill in Buhl, planted about 10 acres of hemp this season for research. He plans to use grain from the hemp he grows to produce a gluten-free hemp meal-replacement bar.

He said hemp is highly nutritious and tastes good, and he anticipates Idaho will be a significant player in the production of hemp for food. He’ll use the hemp fiber to make insulation. 

“I can see a lot of people growing it. The acres will start to double every year for a while,” Cornie said. “It will be a great rotation crop behind wheat and corn.”