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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 11 Sisters filmmaker documents rise of hemp By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief PHOTO PROVIDED Ann Richardson of Sisters has joined the Deschutes Land Trust Board of Directors RICHARDSON: Sisters woman works with many nonprofits Continued from page 3 is so vital to preserving and protecting our high-desert home,= Richardson said. <The Land Trust is truly fortunate to have Ann join our board of directors,= said Executive Director Brad Chalfant. <Her professional background and leadership experience is unique and will add additional depth to an already strong board. Since the Land Trust holds and cares for land forever, a key role for our board is to strengthen the connection between the community and the lands we protect. Having first met Ann in 2000, when she volunteered at our Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, I9ve been continually impressed by her energy and passion for the community. We9re thrilled to welcome her to the Land Trust board.= For more information on the Deschutes Land Trust, call 541-330-0017 or visit www.deschuteslandtrust.org. Hemp. It9s everywhere in Central Oregon. The crop that many Founding Fathers grew more than 200 years ago is suddenly a boom- ing agricultural industry in Sisters Country. Greg Moring, a filmmaker who moved to Sisters about a year ago, is creating a film titled <Hemp Is Back: The Road To Riches?= which explores the hemp boom. He has launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to raise $20,000 for the comple- tion of the film. The film focuses on a cooperative consisting of a retired fire captain with Parkinson9s Disease, a gro- cery commodity broker, two freight truckers, a gas sta- tion owner, and one farmer; the co-op is in their first year growing hemp in Central Oregon. <When the retired fire chief bought 50 hemp plants and grew them to process into CBD oil to help his P a r k i n s o n 9s s y m p t o m s , his results amazed himself and his friends, prompting (their) banding together to grow over 100 acres of fields in the Sisters, Redmond, Terrebonne area,= Moring wrote in his Kickstarter proj- ect synopsis. Moring has a deep back- ground in documentary and feature film work, and though he is currently working as a massage therapist, he contin- ues to produce documentary work. <That9s the part of the industry that I really love,= he told The Nugget. F LL TODAY E IN OR CA OR YOUR E C N A R U S FREE I N ISON! COMPAR COM 541-588-6245 257 S. Pine St., #101 | farmersagent.com/jrybka AUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS Moving to Sisters last February, he was intrigued by how much acreage was planted in hemp. He came across the story of the retired fire chief and knew he had a documentary subject. <It9s kind of an interest- ing mix of people who got together to do this,= he said. He hopes through his film to educate viewers about what hemp is 4 the same plant that produces marijuana but producing the chemi- cal compound CBD, which is purported to have many benefits, from sleep enhance- ment to pain relief, without the psychoactive compound THC that creates the <high= associated with marijuana. In fact, testing for THC is one of the unexpectedly com- plicated aspects of hemp production. Documenting the <bumps in the road= to riches in the hemp industry is another focus of the film. <Our film will exam- ine the bumps in the road to wealth or ruin, including scarcity of seed and starts, refusal of banks to allow PHOTO PROVIDED Greg Moring, right, interviewing Jeff Steiner of OSU’s Global Hemp Initiative Center for his film “Hemp Is Back: The Road To Riches?” hemp business banking, state, federal, and county fees and regulations, mother nature, and the economic boom for fertilizer suppliers, testing labs, processors, farm equip- ment suppliers, and available labor pool,= Moring notes. <With a 50 percent failure rate for new farmers, how the grow and harvest ends will tell the story of Oregon9s hemp pioneers and their Prepare for DINING & TAKE-OUT until midnight every night Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS 190 E. Cascade Ave. WINTER TRAVEL! success and failures.= Like most boom econo- mies, high hopes lead pio- neers into uncharted territory. Crops can be devastated by a hailstorm or harsh weather. And producing too much product without enough pro- cessing capacity can spell trouble even for a successful crop. See HEMP FILM on page 18 Tires, Suspension, Brakes & Alignment DAVIS TIRE Located in Sisters Industrial Park across from Sno-Cap Mini Storage 188 W. Sisters Park Dr. | 541-549-1026 — Serving Sisters Since 1962 — ARE YOU PREPARED IF YOU LOSE POWER? Honda generators offer easy, convenient, reliable back-up power for outages. EU7000iS 4,449 $ For home, business, and outdoor use, Honda will have you powered up! Several models to choose from depending on your needs... EU3000iS 2,099 $ EU2200i 1,009 $ EU1000i 809 $ We are your local authorized Honda Power Equipment Dealer! Offering sales, service & parts. 541-549-9631 Read the owner’s manual before operating Honda Power Equipment. 506 N. Pine St. | SistersRental.com