Winchester, KY: Industrial hemp production in Kentucky will get a boost in the second year of testing its potential as a cash crop. Atalo Holdings, Inc. of Winchester announced a program to provide training for hemp farmers to transform their crop to organic use along with a guaranteed market for their crop.

The program is a joint venture between Atalo Holdings and Nutiva, of Richmond, California, the largest supplier of organic hemp foods in the U.S.

“We are focused on certified-organic hemp foods,” said John W. Roulac, founder and CEO of Nutiva. “We’ve known the folks who started Atalo Holdings for twenty years and we’re excited to work with them to ramp up organic production in

Kentucky’s historically exceptional hemp growing region.”

Typically, organic farming can be more labor intensive, however, organic hemp farming is less intensive than organic fruits or vegetables. It takes three or more years to transition land to certified organic status and once completed, the organic hemp crop can provide Kentucky farmers with long-term economic benefits. “Experts from Nutiva and Atalo Holdings will provide orientation and on-going training during the transition to certified organic,” said David Spalding, president of Hemp Oil Kentucky, a subsidiary of Atalo Holdings, Inc. “Farmers signing up early for this program will be guaranteed contracts for sale of their organic seed to Nutiva.“

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer is enthusiastic about the program. “Two sectors in agriculture that continue to see positive growth in Kentucky are industrial hemp and organic production. At the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, we have seen organic certifications consistently increase over the last three years and we anticipate a 20% growth of certified producers in 2015. I would put Kentucky farmers up against any in the nation — we know how to farm and produce the highest quality products. Kentucky is very fortunate to have Nutiva partner with Atalo Holdings, inc. to expand upon the economic development opportunities with organic hemp.”, said Comer.

“I’m looking forward to working with Atalo Holdings in this venture,” Roulac said. “The demand for organic hempseed and oil is growing fast and I see this program as an economic boost for farmers, while improving America’s soils and satisfying our expanding organic market needs.”

Atalo Holding’s processing facility will be located in Winchester, Kentucky. Nutiva is a provider of “organic superfoods” based in Richmond, California, which promises to “revolutionize the way the world eats.” Inc Magazine has selected Nutiva as one of America’s fastest growing companies six years in a row.

www.nutiva.com
www.ataloholdings.com

Contact: David Spalding
dspalding@ataloholdings.com