USDA Under Secretary, Comer talk ethanol, hemp

Congressman James Comer made another stop in Christian County Wednesday and this time he brought with him the Under Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Bill Northey.

They made a stop at Commonwealth Agri-Energy and took a brief tour of the facility to hear and discuss what the plant does and the effect ethanol has economically and energy-wise. Secretary Northey says ethanol will undoubtedly have a role to play in the future of agriculture and the energy industry.

He says they are waiting on policy changes from the Environmental Protection Agency that will really help the ethanol production to grow.

Northey detailed the market facilitation program, which was introduced to relieve some of the burden on farmers affected by tariffs

Congressman Comer is working to remove hemp from the list of controlled substances to further its production across the nation. He says it’s his hope that will happen and industrial hemp will come under the jurisdiction of the USDA.

They later toured the farm of Joseph Sisk, which is home to 240 acres of industrial hemp, with Northey saying he was eager to learn more about the crop that Kentucky is a leader in.