Officers in a California county voted to increase a short lived ban on industrial hemp farming via the top of the yr. Sutter County supervisors mentioned the choice was fueled by public complaints about odor, monetary losses, and a dying menace made towards the county’s agricultural commissioner.
The ban was upheld on a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, with Board of Supervisors Chairman Dan Flores casting the lone vote towards the ban.
“A dying menace to our ag commissioner? We needed to have safety for our ag commissioner when she acquired a dying menace,” mentioned Supervisor Mike Ziegenmeyer, who voted to maintain the ban. “To me, this crop scares the hell out of me.”
Supervisor Karm Bains, who initially opposed extending the moratorium, reversed his stance after studying in regards to the menace towards Agricultural Commissioner Lisa Herbert, allegedly by an individual within the hemp enterprise. In a letter to the supervisors through which she beneficial continuance of the moratorium, Herbert mentioned the dying menace towards her “highlights the crucial nature of this concern.”
Regardless of the ban extension, the choice stops wanting a everlasting prohibition on hemp farming in Sutter County, positioned within the north-central a part of the state. County Administrator Steve Smith confirmed that supervisors would possibly revisit the difficulty later this yr.
Smelly stuff
The county’s wrestle with industrial hemp started in 2019, however persistent complaints about robust odors, which resemble marijuana, from residents and colleges prompted officers to revisit the crop’s regulatory standing.
Most hemp grown in Sutter County is cultivated for CBD, whose flowering crops produce a extra pungent odor than hemp grown for fiber or meals because of the plant’s manufacturing of terpenes — fragrant compounds that give marijuana and hemp crops their distinctive smells.
4 county college superintendents submitted letters to the fee supporting the ban, citing odor points and the “destructive affect on the neighborhood.”
“We don’t want hemp close to our college, in our neighborhood, or our county,” wrote Sutter-Union Excessive College District Superintendent Jedsen Nunes.
Financially, the county’s hemp program has been a burden, with losses exceeding $415,000 since its inception, the commissioners have been informed. The majority of the losses occurred within the fiscal years ending in 2020 and 2021, with ongoing deficits via final yr. The county’s taxpayers absorbed the fee, based on former County Supervisor Mat Conant, who supported the extension of the ban.
Grower pushback
Native hemp growers expressed frustration with the choice, emphasizing the business’s potential for financial progress and job creation. They highlighted issues about shedding substantial contracts and the livelihoods of dozens of workers tied to hemp cultivation. Some growers defended their compliance with authorized necessities and pointed to the business’s improvement as a possibility for the county’s financial development.
Sutter County District Lawyer Jennifer Dupré highlighted further issues about public security, noting that hemp, simply mistaken for marijuana, usually results in thefts that may end up in violence and even dying.
Supervisor Jeff Stephens mentioned, “It’s a really small business, and with the issues related to it, I simply don’t see the way it may very well be price it. I want to simply see the entire downside go away.”
