Small NY hemp growers feel the pinch of regulations, fees

Jeanette Miller says she’s one of hundreds of farmers who were encouraged to devote acreage to an up-and-coming crop that held promise, but is now watching it all slip away.

Miller, who operates Eclectic Farmstead in Newfane in western New York, said farmers spent upward of $50,000 to cover costs associated with growing hemp and were waiting for the research phase to end so they could sell their products, which include drinks, soaps and lotions.

“We were supposed to be released from being research partners and be able to sell our products,” said Miller, who also serves as vice president of the Niagara County Farm Bureau. “But instead of that happening, (New York state) came out with the Hemp Extract Regulation.”