Diane Mulder, who has a farm near Firth, is one of those who applied and was turned down. She said she found out late Wednesday that her proposal to grow a quarter-acre patch of a hemp strain for a CBD oil was denied.

Mulder said the state seemed to throw up obstacles for growers and businesses to get approvals, with the one-week-only time frame to apply, and requiring a background check that the State Patrol said would take five business days to get. She was able to apply because she found a place online to get a background check faster.

Mulder attended a Midwest Hemp forum last month in David City, where many of those present were frustrated with the process.

She is hoping now there will be wider approval in January and she can participate.

"I want to just jump in and try it and get to know more about it," she said. "I am just so impressed by how many products can come off of a hemp plant."

That includes food, CBD oil, fuel, fiber and wood products. Another benefit is that its root system can pull impurities out of the soil, she said.

"To think about what an impact that can have on our country as a whole, that's really an exciting thing to think about," Mulder said.