Tiffany Wigginton Carnal is in the fight of her life to save her daughter.

As tobacco declines, some hope that hemp can be a “gateway crop” to financial sustainability for the state’s small farms.

The hemp program in Kentucky is in its infancy, having just 2,350 acres grown last year and 922 acres in 2015.

Individuals interested in the hemp industry, science and policy can attend concurrent tracks in each area and a two-day scientific poster session and trade show.

With a long list of uses and applications, industrial hemp holds tremendous profit potential for Kentucky farmers.

Farmers throughout the Ohio Valley want to revive a crop that was once a staple in the region: hemp.

Farmers throughout the Ohio Valley want to revive a crop that was once a staple in the region: hemp.

Kentucky's Agriculture Commissioner is asking the federal government to reconsider its latest set of rules regarding industrial hemp.

Kentucky's Agriculture Commissioner is asking the federal government to reconsider its latest set of rules regarding industrial hemp.

Three members of Kentucky’s U.S. Congressional delegation joined 16 other members of Congress in a letter Wednesday seeking clarification from federal agencies regarding industrial hemp guidelines.

Kentucky officials are expecting a significant jump in hemp cultivation during 2017.

Kentucky officials are expecting a significant jump in hemp cultivation during 2017.

Hemp added to locally-produced meats shatters a barrier for a little-understood crop local farmers hope proves lucrative enough to secure a future for small, family-owned farms.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

Kentucky is experimenting with industrial hemp – as dozens of farmers grow test plots covering 45-hundred acres.

Bill would allow adults to grow up to 5 plants for personal use. Kentucky could become one of the next states to legalize the leaf for recreational purposes.

Bill would allow adults to grow up to 5 plants for personal use. Kentucky could become one of the next states to legalize the leaf for recreational purposes.

Kentucky is accelerating hemp production in the third year of testing its potential as a cash crop.

The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill to update state law governing hemp production.

The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill to update state law governing hemp production.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - A Louisville senator on Friday pre-filed the “Cannabis Freedom Act” to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis for people over 21 years old.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - A Louisville senator on Friday pre-filed the “Cannabis Freedom Act” to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis for people over 21 years old.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Crews at Farmington harvested the property’s first hemp crop in more than 150 years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Crews at Farmington harvested the property’s first hemp crop in more than 150 years.

Three members of Kentucky’s U.S. Congressional delegation joined 16 other members of Congress in a letter Wednesday seeking clarification from federal agencies regarding industrial hemp guidelines.

Murray State University hosted a Hemp Education and Field Day earlier this month, giving area residents insight on the hemp plots being grown at the university.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Among the top contributors to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential campaign are the usual suspects - a financial management firm, a real estate developer, a manufacturer of hand tools.

But Paul is also getting significant support from an unlikely source for a conservative Republican – the marijuana industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Among the top contributors to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential campaign are the usual suspects - a financial management firm, a real estate developer, a manufacturer of hand tools.

But Paul is also getting significant support from an unlikely source for a conservative Republican – the marijuana industry.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.

Textile mills in regions such as Western North Carolina lie dormant while Americans import about $500 million worth of hemp annually.