WACO, TX. — A whole new cash crop could be coming to Central Texas.
Soon, Texans will be able to apply for licenses to grow hemp. But first, the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture Sid Miller is holding a public hearing on Wednesday to listen to the public's opinion.
People who attend will have three minutes to voice their concerns,
Miller said they have sent their proposed rules to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, Miller will ask them to approve the final rules after they hold their public hearing and go through all of the public comments.
The comment period is open until the end of the month.
Miller said the advisory meeting will gather to go through the comments and adjust any rules, if needed.
Sonny Bever, owner of Waco Hemp Farm, a company that supplies CBD products, has land that is prepped and ready to grow hemp. It's an industry he says can go very far in the Lone Star State.
"The potential is probably endless depending on the regulations, and over-regulating can kill the entire industry as a whole, so regulation is going to be key in what we are going to be able to do," said Bever.
The public hearing will be held Wednesday at the Texas Farm Bureau Conference Center in Waco at 9 a.m.
