firstHempCropSpringfield, Colo., farmer Ryan Loflin on Monday planted the nation’s first industrial hemp crop in almost 60 years.

Loflin’s plans to grow hempalready have been chronicled, and Monday’s planting attracted the attention of more media in southeastern Colorado and a documentary film crew.

Hemp is genetically related to marijuana but contains little or no THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana.Hemp has dozens of usesin food, cosmetics, clothing and industrial materials.

Its cultivation in small test plots became legal last year under a Colorado law. The passage of Amendment 64 in November allowed commercial growing, even though hemp, like marijuana, is illegal under federal law.

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Denver Post