I didn’t know a darn thing about hemp farming when I started reading veteran ag reporter Lori Potter’s story. Now, thanks to her work, I know a few things.
I know that the promise of hemp is alluring to some Nebraska farmers, who see the now-legal crop used to make CBD oils and products as a way to break out of the corn and soybean rotations that define Nebraska agriculture. And I also know that the perils of hemp are many — farmers interviewed by Potter say that burdensome regulations, unstable markets, tepid state support and a public that still confuses hemp with Mary Jane threaten Nebraska’s newest and tiniest agricultural industry.
Learn all about it from Lori, our newest freelancer, who has covered Nebraska agriculture for four decades in the central part of the state.
In case you missed it, here’s the story of Dr. Lydia Kang, the Omaha doctor and author who was writing a history of pandemics… when a pandemic broke out. Kang’s first-person essay, written first for the Flatwater Free Press, has been featured on Channel 3 News Now, and will soon be featured on Nebraska Public Media.
Don’t forget: The Flatwater Free Press can always use your help. If you know about a story that needs to be told, let us know by using this form or via [email protected].
Thank you for reading.
—Matthew Hansen, Executive Editor
Here’s what we’re into this week: News from around Nebraska
We like to share great Nebraska journalism, no matter who made it. Here’s what caught our eye this week:
- Omaha World-Herald reporters extraordinaire Henry Cordes and Paul Hammel have begun what looks to be an important, fascinating series on the future of beef in Nebraska. There’s a lot of, well, meat on this one. Our state’s signature commodity appears to be at a crossroads.
- Nebraska Public Media’s Daniel Wheaton has receipts for those gorgeous, wildfire-related sunsets that are becoming more and more common. Scottsbluff residents have had smoky days increase nearly 50%, he found. Even in Omaha, the impact is up 5% in less than a decade.
- And, finally, a new group of Afghan refugees is starting to resettle in Nebraska. Here are important stories from Omaha’s KETV Channel 7, Lincoln’s 10/11 Now and Norfolk’s News Channel Nebraska on the massive resettlement effort. We always love a quotable quote, and one jumped out at us from the Norfolk story: “We spent 20 years trying to make their government our government, longer than that trying to bomb them and shoot them. What would happen if we tried to help them?” said Rev. Ray Wilke of Norfolk, who is helping Norfolk take in Afghan refugees.
