Michael Abraham
I wrote about Jim Politis almost four years ago as he was working to get the state legislature to allow Virginia farmers to grow industrial hemp for fuel, oil and fiber.
Finally, he’s been successful. Here’s how it came down.
“In 2015, the General Assembly, in their Farm Bill, added a provision to allow universities to grow and experiment with industrial hemp for experimental purposes,” he told me. “Virginia State University in Petersburg and Virginia Tech began growing at their research farms. James Madison University has no agricultural land, so they were allowed to work with local farmers. All these schools have agricultural departments.”
VSU began looking into vegetable oil for food and fuel. Tech’s work was more in fiber. All three researched seed production. Each region is suitable to different crops for different needs. Our area is best for fiber.
“Seed crops are planted with less density,” he said. “Fiber crops are tight, and grow straighter and taller, up to 15 feet. Cotton and flax are other fiber crops, but in comparison, hemp is stronger, it takes less chemicals and water, and has four times the yield per acre.
“We also have legalized medicinal cannabis in Virginia. There are five pharmaceutical houses in Virginia to process it. People I know are using it as a crème to rub on arthritis, or swallowing it as a tincture.
“The Federal Government is still working on their legislation. But meanwhile, Virginia is moving forward and will now allow farmers to grow. Legalization of industrial hemp has wide bi-partisan appeal.”
I asked what constituency might be against it.
Jim said, “The only thing I can logically say is that perhaps the corporations are against it. Hemp will be a competitor to the big guys. It can become a commodity.
“With the state opening the doors to industrial hemp, farmers will begin to grow it. Farmers are entrepreneurial people. They’ll experiment and see what makes money for them. I think it’s the last step towards my long efforts. Now we’ll still need to see how it’s regulated. And they’ll need to have customers to sell it. For ten years, I’ve been working on this, and this is a big victory. It’s huge! I was one of the leaders, and when you work on something for a long time and are successful, it’s satisfying.”
During the process, Jim faced serious medical issues. He’d long had problems with his heart. After a bout with pneumonia from which he suffered for weeks, it was determined that he would need a new heart to survive. “My left ventricle stopped pumping,” he said. “I had had a defibrillator put in. My cardiologist said ‘Jim, you just need to slow down.’ I was on the (Montgomery County) Board (of Supervisors) then and I couldn’t slow down. I had a farm and a store. I went to the University Of Virginia Medical Center. They said I had heart failure, and my heart was only pumping half the volume it should.
“I had a heart transplant, and now have a heart from a young man of 21 from Atlanta. The surgery was terrible. I was there for 8-1/2 months.”
After many transplants, patients leave in 10 days. But he had lots of infections and four more surgeries. The whole shebang cost $3.1 million. His insurer paid $250,000, as that was all they would allow for that procedure. He paid a few thousand. UVA absorbed the rest.
I said, “So UVA has invested in you to the tune of almost $3 million.”
“Yes,” he joked, “But I taught them all about hemp. Guess what? They’re going to finally grow it at UVA!
“I’ve always been an activist. I was one of the first farmers around here to grow buffalo. I’ve always taken risks. It kept me energized. We made lots of tough decisions in my 16 years on the Board. I wouldn’t change a single vote. The two big things I did to impact our area were the buffalo store and hemp. We sold the farm and the store. I’m volunteering at Tech with their hemp research. I’m still working with the Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition.
“For some reason I made it through (my heart problems). I was being wheeled after one of my surgeries back to my room from the recovery room. The nurse said, ‘I hope you make it. Most people don’t.’ I said, ‘I’ll be back.’ My determination and will to live saved me.”
Michael Abraham is a businessman and author. He was raised in Christiansburg and lives in Blacksburg.
