Across the country, advocates are hailing industrial hemp as a miracle crop. Some Floridians even think the plant could surpass oranges as an agricultural powerhouse. But lawmakers in the capitol are urging caution.

Across the country, advocates are hailing industrial hemp as a miracle crop. Some Floridians even think the plant could surpass oranges as an agricultural powerhouse. But lawmakers in the capitol are urging caution.

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Organizers of the inaugural Boise Hemp Fest 2016 view it as a teaching tool for the many uses of cannabis.

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Organizers of the inaugural Boise Hemp Fest 2016 view it as a teaching tool for the many uses of cannabis.

Hemp seeds are emerging as a healthy source of food and new breakfast cereal companies are now becoming popular as an alternative to old-time favorites.

Hemp initiatives in states from tiny Rhode Island in the east to expansive Washington state in the USA’s northwest are seeing advances as proponents of the crop see its potential to revive the farm sector and boost state tax coffers — sooner or later.

Hemp initiatives in states from tiny Rhode Island in the east to expansive Washington state in the USA’s northwest are seeing advances as proponents of the crop see its potential to revive the farm sector and boost state tax coffers — sooner or later.

Like marijuana, industrial hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but it does not have large concentrations of the compound that makes marijuana a high-inducing drug.

Like marijuana, industrial hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but it does not have large concentrations of the compound that makes marijuana a high-inducing drug.

BISMARCK — The 2014 Farm Bill allowed for universities and state departments of agriculture to create pilot programs for the growing of industrial hemp. But it didn’t change the Controlled Substances Act or make hemp completely legal.

BISMARCK — The 2014 Farm Bill allowed for universities and state departments of agriculture to create pilot programs for the growing of industrial hemp. But it didn’t change the Controlled Substances Act or make hemp completely legal.

A greenhouse industry expert looks at whether it is better to retrofit existing greenhouses, or to purpose-build greenhouses for marijuana growing.