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During a swing through upstate New York, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate industrial hemp a specialty crop — a move that would allow farmers to obtain critical crop insurance coverage.

Gillibrand, D-N.Y., visited JD Farms in Eaton, Madison County, to announce her support for expanding crop insurance coverage to include New York industrial hemp farmers. JD Farms was the first to grow industrial hemp in New York in more than 80 years. To grow hemp, the farm entered into a pilot program with Morrisville State College.

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But what hemp farmers currently lack is crop insurance. The coverage is important, especially if a crop is damaged due to a disaster or inclement weather.

Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, wants to change that.

"If our farmers are going to invest their resources to grow industrial hemp and help build our local economy, they should have the peace of mind that their investments are going to be protected if a natural disaster comes and wipes out their harvest," she said.