Former Clemson coach Danny Ford wins a new title — hemp farmer
Clemson coaching legend Danny Lee Ford is among 20 South Carolina farmers selected to participate in the state’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Agriculture.
The 20 permit recipients were chosen from 131 applications.
Ford is allowed to plant hemp on 16 acres in Pickens County, the news release says.
Five universities — University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, Clemson University and USC Beaufort — reportedly will work with the farmers.
Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law in May making it legal for 20 South Carolina farmers to grow up to 20 acres of industrial hemp for research purposes.
Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, but hemp is the fibers and marijuana is the flower of the plant, according to the agriculture department’s website. They differ in concentration of THC, the chemical that causes a marijuana user’s “high.”
Ford was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this month. He coached the Clemson Tigers to a national championship in 1981.
Lisa Wilson: 843-706-8103, @lisawilsonIPBG
This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Former Clemson coach Danny Ford wins a new title — hemp farmer."