Growers vote in favor of advisory committee

Montana hemp farmers and industry professionals voted 19-1 Thursday in favor of creating a hemp advisory committee within the Montana Department of Agriculture.

This followed a Jan. 31 meeting in Sidney, which saw a unanimous vote in favor of the committee, according to Department of Agriculture director Ben Thomas.

Thomas said it's very likely that he will move forward with forming a committee. The exact size of the committee is yet to be determined, but the department is floating the idea of a seven member board filled mostly with Montana growers. One seat may be reserved for an industry member from processing or another hemp-related area. Additionally, the seat could go to someone representing hemp consumers.

The committee would be responsible for providing active feedback to the Department of Agriculture. Additionally, it would determine any voluntary assessment fee that growers would pay to the department.

Terms will be one and two years when the committee starts. As time passes, terms will be adjusted so that they stagger. The department typically limits members to three terms.

Montana would be the third state in the United States to have a hemp advisory committee.