Winnebago Tribe among the first to enter industrial hemp industry


Syndication

July 23, 2019

The Winnebago Tribe will soon become the first Indian nation in Nebraska to start planting hemp after receiving a state license to do so last week.

“This is a young industry with a lot of potential,” said Aaron LaPointe, business manager of Ho-Chunk Farms. “The 2019 season will be very small scale at 5.5 acres total. The data we collect during this pilot program gives us a head start for next year.”

Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe’s economic development corporation, owns Ho-Chunk Farms. Its subsidiary plans to begin planting hemp yet this summer on the tribe’s reservation in northeast Nebraska.

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