Hemp

[rkaiser]

Is anybody out there in agrivilleland growing hemp? Any fibre processing being done in Canada yet?

[hobbyfrmr]

http://plainshemp.com

There is something brewing in southern Alberta as well.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1179997/growing-hemp-on-alberta-farms/

[rkaiser]

Thank you much

[wmoebis]

Suspect not too many guys want to change or risk. Many been burnt over years with the likes of flax fiber, export hay (Timothy), buffalo, elk ostriches and the like.

[Braveheart]

It's a bit of a cart before the horse, running before walking situation.

I sat in on negotiations with GM in 1999. The fledgling Industrial Hemp Association was trying to get going. GM was willing to buy hemp fibre for composite in dashboard/interiors, but wanted guarantee of an astronomical tonnage before signing any contract. It was not to be at the time.

There no growers, mills, or any other parts of the chain in place, and, they were in fact years from being so.

It may have been one of the most unrealized opportunities in modern agriculture.

[food4u]

Just like our grain transportation system. Farmers can grow it, grain companies will buy it, but railways will not gaurantee supply of cars to deliver to the terminals.

[farmaholic]

Lots being "processed" in Canada already.........illegally.

[ALLFARMER]

Some was grown on my farm legally last year. Had to be gps'd out and all. Planted in a far out of the way corner of a field 1/2 mile from any type of road. No fertilizer used...very dry summer but it still grew 6' tall. Not sure what all happened with it, I think it got worked under. I had posted some photos of it joking it was weed on facebook but facebook quickly deleted it.

[ALLFARMER]

Wifey signed some paper acknowledging permission to plant it on our land.

No BS either

[perfecho]

Working under a 6ft crop would not be easy....but I guess burning it wasn't an option.....;-)

[Hopperbin]

Well if you dont know what happenned to it. Perhaps you smoked it.

[seedsman]

Almost 100,000 acres in Canada last year. Most processed by 2 companies in MB. One is going quite well, the other is really behind processing last year's crop. Some more processing capacity is in the works. Acres will be down a bit this year because of one company's backlog. Lots of different varieties , with different heights. Some can be swathed like wheat. Uses more N than canola.

[seedsman]

Basically all the crop is grown for grain. Grain is $0.80 per pound and straw is $0.04 per pound. Good crop grows more pounds of grain than straw per acre.

[Braveheart]

Those are varieties for seed production. The fibre varieties used to grow 6 to 8 feet tall. Specialized equipment from Europe was necessary for harvest. Really tough fibre which caused more than one fire in any equipment not designed for hemp.

[cottonpicken]

Remember an old documentary about the early history of why it was made illegal something about it replacing the logging industry so some suits went to Washington and took care of it.