The New York Times published a fascinating description of the first hemp crop to be grown in New York in 80 years at JD Farms. Mark Justh, a former JP Morgan banker in Asia, bought the farm in 2013, and Daniel Dolgin, a former counterterrorism expert, purchased a 50% stake earlier this year. Justh was an unsuccessful applicant in the state’s medical cannabis licensing program in 2015 as CEO of Mindful Medical New York LLC. JD Farms planted 30 acres of hemp on the 1300 acre farm and plans to sell the stalk for biomaterial and the seeds for food. It currently is not growing industrial hemp for CBD but may do so in the future.
The New York Times posted two videos as well, including a discussion with Dolgin, Justh, Donna A. Lupardo, a New York assemblywoman for the Southern Tier who sponsored the legislation to allow hemp to be grown in the state, and Jennifer Gilbert-Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Soil Science at Morrisville State College (video 1) and then a tour of the farm, where Dolgin and Justh discussed the challenges and opportunities (video 2). According to Dolgin, the hemp seeds were purchased from Canada after receiving a DEA import permit. Dolgin and Justh feel fortunate to have partnered with Morrisville State College, but they suggest that the industry will be slow to develop as long as hemp farmers are required to be associated with an academic institution.
Read Nilo Tabrizy’s “You Need an Armed Guard to Plant These Seeds”: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/nyregion/new-york-industrial-hemp-farm.html
