A local state lawmaker has co-sponsored a bill that would allow farmers to grow hemp for industrial purposes.

Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, is one of six Republicans signed on to a bi-partisan proposal that would allow growing certain varieties of Cannabis sativa for the plant's fibers - used to make everything from clothing to fuel.

"Industrial hemp grows so quickly and so tall," Davids said. "It can be a very highly valued cash crop."

One of the biggest challenges with starting up hemp production in Minnesota would be finding a market for a plant that is currently illegal, said Eunice Biel, president of the Fillmore County Farmers Union.

Still, Biel's group supports the bill. Hemp could become another crop to add to a fairly limited rotation for area farmers, she said.

Only plants with a mere trace of the potent chemical prized by marijuana users would be allowed, but the bill has little chance of becoming law, Davids said. The bill has no companion in the Senate.