By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
A hemp processing plant will be coming to the Caprock, with a goal of being fully operational by the third quarter of 2023.
The Environmental Living Industries’ $43 million facility in Dumas will process industrial hemp.
“In general, it’s the fiber from the stalk, and it’s separated from the hurd, which is the woody interior of the stalk,” CEO of Environmental Living Industries Kyle Huttonlocker said.
Hemp will be the only crop processed at the plant.
Industrial hemp is grown for its stalk and fiber and can be used in many ways. Although production will focus on the stalk and fiber, hemp leaves, oil and seed can be harvested and utilized, as well.
“Really, the sky’s the limit,” Huttonlocker said. “There’s so many different things that we’re looking at, just thousands of different industries to market to.”
In an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, Huttonlocker described several uses for hemp.
“The people we’ll be selling to will take this material and use it for things like paper, cordage, packing materials, construction materials, insulation. We can do lumber replacement options with this,” he said. “And then there’s even more kind of complex late-stage applications for it that are like bioplastics and things like that, body composite panels for automobiles.”
Once operational, the facility will be capable of processing about 10 tons of hemp an hour. As Environmental Living Industries prepares to be fully operational in the third quarter of next year, they are working on growing interest from investors.
“Fundraising is going well,” Huttonlocker said. “We’ve generated a lot of tremendous interest in the investor market for this particular project, both locally and nationally. So, we’re very excited that we will be able to wrap up our fundraising as early as October of this year.”