Hemp?

[hobbyfrmr]

LWeber, ZIiiiiiiing. A fact is a fact. Good call.
Now you can lighten up!

[Wheatking]

Pardon.
What is the seed worth/lb.
What do you do with the straw, bale it and
sell it, or drop it and burn it.

[padron]

I'm hearing conventional seed is being contracted
for $.75/lb and organic is a premium - at least
$.15 to $.20/lb I believe.

Finding homes for the straw is still a challenge but
work is being done in the composite fiber sector
as well as textile applications. But both of these
markets require different varieties and differing
harvest timing than hemp for food applications. I
think the construction industry is the best hope for
hemp fiber markets in the near term. Hempcrete,
fiber board, etc. as well as interior body panels for
automobiles are also expanding. Near term I think
it's likely that animal bedding or burning are the
most widely utilized options. But I'm a hemp food
guy so other people may have some better
suggestions.

[smcgrath76]

ASRG - you make some good points about
opportunity costs (That's why cows are
disappearing). We swath graze and
average 160 AUGD per acre. No
fertilizer, no spray, just cultivating,
seeding and cutting. We don't waste
much as any waste sprouts and is used
for early spring grazing. We aren't set
up for growing grain, and don't have an
interest in it anyway, so we face a
different opportunity decision.
The gross on an acre of grainland is
better, but depending on how it is done
and economies of scale the risk and net
may not be any better.
I believe in being aware of costs and
opportunities, but I don't worry about
the fact that my land is worth X times
more than when it was purchased. That
is only realizable value if/when you
decide to sell it. The part that
matters is what you paid for it and the
cash flow needs that creates. I think
more land is going to continue to go
into grain, but those of us that remain
in cattle either wholly or mixed farming
are going to have to figure out cheaper
grazing alternatives year round. As an
example, I think if we grain farmed in
addition to cows I would probably own a
Jones Buncher.