U.S. hemp cultivation exploded in 2019 after the federal government legalized it via the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill). According to Hemp Benchmarks’ most recent accounting, states licensed roughly 570,000 acres for outdoor cultivation in 2019, with almost 4,000 additional acres permitted for indoor and greenhouse growing. We estimate farmers planted approximately 250,000 to 260,000 acres for cannabidiol (CBD) production. We also estimate that farmers successfully harvested and dried fewer than 100,000 acres of high-CBD hemp biomass, making it viable for processing into various CBD products.
Even with only 15% to 20% of total licensed acreage ultimately producing usable hemp-derived CBD biomass, 2019’s hemp harvest swamped existing processing capacity, leaving many farmers sitting on unsold crops into 2020. Reports from both market participants and state regulators told of CBD extraction operations at capacity as recently as February 2020. Instead of purchasing biomass from farmers, many processors have been offering to extract CBD (or other cannabinoids) for tolling fees (set fees, often per pound) or splits (in most scenarios this means that the farmer will take part of the resulting extracted product as payment), leaving growers with various forms of extracted CBD that they then have to attempt to move.
These market conditions resulted in high-CBD biomass prices tanking from early 2019 through early 2020. Hemp Benchmarks began assessing prices in April 2019; at the time, CBD biomass was going for $3.83 per percent CBD per pound. (For example, if a pound of biomass contained 4% CBD, its value would be $3.83 x 4 = $15.32/pound.)
By February 2020, the price had dropped by 74% to $1.01 per percent CBD per pound. Prices for various forms of extracted CBD have also seen steep declines during the same time period.
While significant consumer interest in CBD exists, demand has been difficult to quantify definitively. Additionally, CBD currently exists in a regulatory limbo. Although the 2018 Farm Bill removed CBD from the list of Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that CBD cannot be marketed as a dietary supplement nor added to foods due to its status as a drug ingredient. (The FDA has only approved CBD in the form of the prescription drug Epidiolex for the treatment of rare forms of epilepsy.)
This regulatory uncertainty has prevented traditional sales channels, such as national retail chains, pharmacies and grocery stores, from carrying many of the products manufactured and marketed today. While major national retailers have begun to carry CBD, they have predominantly focused on topical products so as to not run afoul of the FDA’s current stance. Many CBD companies are adding CBD to foods and beverages and selling them in the form of supplements, but such products, which do not comply with the FDA’s current stance, are being carried largely by small specialty retailers that do not have nearly the buying power of national pharmacy and grocery chains.
Hemp Benchmarks’ price assessments for refined hemp oil, a category of products that includes various forms of CBD distillates, showed a 66% price drop from April 2019 to February 2020. Prices for CBD isolate have declined by 74% in the same period, while crude CBD oil prices have plummeted by 87%. The tough financial situations facing some major CBD processors have resulted in market participants worrying that prices will deteriorate further as inventories are liquidated in bankruptcies or prices are slashed to move product and generate much-needed cash flow.
Looking Ahead in 2020
Considering the current market landscape, here are four opportunities and challenges in and around the U.S. hemp industry in 2020 and beyond.
1. Processing capacity of all kinds must be increased to accommodate domestic production. Despite rapidly eroding CBD biomass prices, early signs indicate that all types of hemp production will expand in 2020. Poor weather impacted 2019’s crop at key points in the growing season, raising the possibility that better conditions could result in a significantly larger harvest this year. CBD processing facilities are at capacity, and even less capacity may be available as some operators scale back or go under. More cannabinoid extraction processing capacity is necessary to accommodate production. Also, the development of decortication facilities, which are currently scarce, and other types of non-cannabinoid hemp processing would provide growers with more options to plant and sell crops for fiber or other purposes.
2. Harvesting, drying and storage processes and options for hemp biomass have significant room for improvement. In 2019, farmers faced significant challenges harvesting, drying and storing their crops properly to keep them saleable to processors. Significant crop loss occurred during and after harvest; many growers cut down plants by hand, hung hemp in barns and used hand-built band dryers, resulting in improperly stored biomass lost to mold. With a generally oversupplied market, standardized processes and options tailored specifically to hemp biomass drying and storage to preserve cannabinoid concentrations and prevent mold would be a major help to hemp growers.
3. Regulatory certainty on CBD and other cannabinoids is necessary for industry expansion. The FDA’s current stance on CBD is effectively suppressing demand for products by keeping major wholesale buyers on the sidelines. While the FDA has noted that developing regulations for CBD for use as a dietary supplement or food ingredient could take years, state and national lawmakers, as well as industry groups, have been pushing for the formulation of such policy sooner. If the FDA allowed CBD to be marketed as a supplement and added to foods and beverages in 2020, that would almost certainly help move the current inventory buildup of CBD oils.
4. Smokable CBD flower and other cannabinoids provide opportunities for growers to command higher prices but come with major uncertainty. In 2019, hemp growers who sold high-CBD smokable flower saw significantly higher prices for their product compared to CBD biomass. Additionally, cannabigerol (CBG) biomass has typically garnered rates in excess of 10 times those of CBD biomass in recent months. However, prices for both smokable CBD flower and CBG biomass have been on the decline as well. Major questions remain about the scope of demand for each, and some states are outlawing smokable hemp.
In a dynamic new industry, hemp businesses should do their best to carefully plan 2020 operations using current available data. While Hemp Benchmarks’ price assessments have shown significant downturns in the prices for many products in this young supply chain, increased price transparency can enable farmers, processors and others to make more informed decisions and optimize operations for maximum benefit.
Editor’s Note: Hemp Benchmarks did not see any notable deviations from prior trends due to the COVID-19 pandemic in its March 25 report. The company noted it will analyze this in more detail in its April report.
Regulatory Limbo: Can a State-Federal Model of Governance Work for Hemp?
Features - Features
A battle between state ag and the feds is brewing, revealing deep uncertainty about the crop’s economic future.
The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) has been a massive experiment in the limits and efficacy of federalism, bringing to question the true authority states possess within their jurisdictions. Can state officials, for example, write hemp regulations that work for their states while being tethered to a one-size-fits-all federal framework? Can the state-federal model of governance realistically work for hemp?
Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its interim final rule on Oct. 31, 2019, many state officials have been outspoken in their criticisms, saying the proposed federal guidelines are far too difficult to enforce in reality and could even hurt farmers’ ability to profitably grow the crop. Based on interviews conducted by Hemp Grower and a comprehensive analysis of formal comments and letters filed with the USDA, the process has been fraught with setbacks and complexity, raising deep uncertainty for hemp growers across the country.
“Is this a crop that farmers will want to invest in if they don’t know the rules of the road?” Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt posed to Hemp Grower about the challenges states are facing in writing their plans. “The goal is not to have a hemp program that’s a perfect program; the goal is for our growers to be able to grow a new crop, get it to the marketplace, meet the consumer demand and hopefully make some money to further their business.”
The 2018 Farm Bill required the USDA to craft federal hemp rules—but it also gave states the right to develop their own plans for enforcing them. Until Oct. 31, 2020, states and tribes have the option to either continue operating under their pilot programs set forth by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill), which allowed growing limited quantities of hemp for research purposes, or operate under a new plan that they submit to the USDA for approval.
Many states are holding onto their pilot programs because they generally have less stringent regulations than those required by the 2018 Farm Bill. But beginning Nov. 1, 2020, all state plans and hemp producers must be in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill. That means states must develop plans compliant with the interim final rule, and those plans must be approved by the USDA.
As of April 29, the USDA had approved 16 new state plans; 18 states had decided to continue operating under their pilot programs until Oct. 31, 2020; and most other states were still at the drawing board.
“All of this regulatory fluctuation really has a downward effect on people’s interest in participating in the program,” Hurlburt says. “All it does is benefit foreign growers. Because if we can’t meet the domestic demand, consumers are going to get their [hemp products] somewhere else.”
Most of the disagreement between states and the USDA comes down to the testing of hemp: what’s tested, when it’s tested, how much is tested and where it’s tested.
What’s Tested
One of the most controversial aspects of the interim final rule is the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) limit. Under the proposed rule, hemp that contains more than 0.3% THC in state-administered tests is technically considered marijuana (also called “hot” hemp) and must be disposed of. Farmers face a “negligence threshold” of 0.5% THC, meaning that if they produce hemp over that limit three times in a five-year period, they won’t be allowed to grow hemp for the following five years.
Hemp testing is made even more difficult by the methodology mandated by the USDA. The rule imposes a “total THC” standard, which means laboratories must test the levels of both delta-9 THC (the primary intoxicating compound in cannabis) and THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, the non-psychoactive acid form of THC found in the plant when raw) in the crop. The total THC testing method tends to increase the THC concentration results, when the delta-9 THC limit is already a challenge to meet.
This is where the 2018 Farm Bill and state laws have differed drastically. Many states were previously testing only delta-9 THC levels, as well as making additional exceptions to alleviate pressure on farmers. A Louisiana law, for example, gave state authorities the latitude to make the call: If there were several lots of hemp on the same property and one tests high for THC and the other tests low, both lots could be “blended” for testing purposes. That exception has since been removed from Louisiana’s law to fit with the 2018 Farm Bill, leaving farmers in the state facing at least one new regulation this growing season that could significantly hinder their success.
According to many state agricultural directors’ formal comments, the total THC requirement will be difficult for farmers to comply with and will limit the strains they can grow. They also say the proposed negligence threshold is far too low and would put farmers in an untenable situation based on factors beyond their control, such as severe weather.
“They’re fearful of the legal ramifications if their field goes hot even though the farmer did everything in their power to grow a good crop, such as [selected] the correct seed or variety, tested soil types and had good growing conditions,” says Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and co-chair the Indiana Hemp Advisory Committee. (“Plant stresses such as drought, flooding, extreme nutrient levels, heat, cold, etc. can all cause THC spikes,” as can altitude, according to a Georgia Farm Bureau report.)
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that represents the interests of state agriculture directors, issued formal comments that urged the USDA to set the negligence threshold for THC at 1% instead of 0.5% and allow states the flexibility to decide what to do with hemp that tests above 0.3% THC. As a compromise, the association has floated the idea of using stalks or seed of hot plants for biomass or other “non-human consumption” purposes rather than in CBD products.
In response to criticism on the interim final rule, the USDA recently relaxed or delayed a few of its most contested hemp program requirements for the upcoming growing season. One of the revisions provides additional options for disposing of hemp that tests above the 0.3% THC limit, including burning the crop on the field or blending it with other biomass materials for compost. The USDA says states or tribes will be responsible for establishing protocols and procedures to ensure appropriate disposal practices.
In the same breath, though, the USDA clarified that it cannot touch the stringent THC requirement. The U.S. Congress wrote the threshold into law, so it needs congressional approval to change.
When It’s Tested
The USDA’s interim final rule requires hemp to be tested within 15 days of harvest. Many states have said this time frame is too narrow and have recommended testing 30 to 45 days within harvesting instead. The reason: States simply don’t have the current capacity to collect samples in such a short time frame.
“We expect that a backlog in testing will develop in any area where there is a relatively higher number of licensed farmers per testing laboratory, especially where these farmers themselves have multiple lots that require testing,” NASDA wrote in its comments to the USDA. “Qualified inspectors will be overburdened by the expected spikes in their demand.”
Inclement weather could exacerbate the situation, as it could push all farmers in an area to harvest at nearly the same time, putting greater pressure on already limited state resources.
Farmers who encounter inclement weather will already be dealing with a fair share of problems, not the least of which involve THC levels, which also tend to spike the longer hemp is in the ground. In North Carolina, for example, the harvest season for field-grown hemp runs from late August through October. Data from the N.C. Industrial Hemp Pilot Program in 2019 revealed that the ag department collected the largest percentage of non-compliant samples in October. The non-compliance rate in October was 51%, while the non-compliance rate for the entirety of 2019 was only 15%.
“We still need to understand a lot about seeds and traits [and] the chemistry of the crop as it reaches harvest so we can accurately assess the THC content,” says NASDA CEO Barb Glenn, Ph.D. “It’s all about the rigor of that 0.3% THC. We respect that, but at the same time we need more research to understand that particular level.”
How Much Is Tested
The USDA’s interim final rule also requires states to sample and test every hemp field, putting further pressure on state resources. For some states, this could mean doubling the number of tests, which would greatly increase the workload for state regulatory officials, inspectors, testing laboratories and farmers, not to mention added costs for both the states and farmers.
Ben Thomas, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, says he believes a risk-based approach to sampling and testing is much more appropriate. Montana has developed a list of cultivars that have consistently tested well below the federal threshold of 0.3% THC in local areas. For these varieties, Montana randomly samples and tests. For other “riskier” varieties, state inspectors test 100%, Thomas says.
“It’s purely an issue of pragmatism,” Thomas says. “Just like we don’t require THC testing of wheat, we shouldn’t require THC testing of these well-established, certified varieties that won’t have alarming THC levels.”
Montana opted to develop a new hemp plan compliant with the 2018 Farm Bill, which the USDA recently approved of—but only if Montana doesn’t continue with its risk-based testing approach, which the state will phase out Nov. 1, 2020.
“All of this regulatory fluctuation really has a downward effect on people’s interest in participating in the program.” Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt
Tom Melton, Ph.D., North Carolina State University professor and chair of the N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission, says the sampling of all hemp produced is simply not feasible without significant additional resources. North Carolina currently has more than 1,350 licensed hemp growers. In the fall of 2019, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services tested 55% of the hemp fields in the state, with employees working up to 70 hours a week, he says. It is “impossible” to ask this staff to do more, he says.
On a bright note, the USDA has said “there is room for discretion in the final rule” regarding the 15-day harvest window and sampling procedures. However, it has yet to revise those areas of regulation.
Where It’s Tested
There is also the matter of available licensed testing facilities. The USDA’s interim final rule requires hemp to be tested at a laboratory registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As part of the USDA’s recent revisions, the agency has delayed that requirement until Oct. 31, 2021, or until the final rule is published—whichever comes first.
“Because currently there isn’t sufficient capacity in the United States for the testing and disposal of non-compliant hemp plants, USDA has worked hard to enable flexibility in the requirements in the interim final rule for those issues,” said Greg Ibach, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, in a news release.
However, the requirement still looms as the industry anticipates its eventual enforcement.
A number of labs have applied for certification, but currently many states, and even some entire U.S. regions, don’t have a single lab, let alone enough to handle the incoming supply of testing samples.
Because of the lack of DEA-registered laboratories in many parts of the country, authorities often contract with private laboratories that operate with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certifications instead. For their own reasons, many of these private laboratories may be unwilling to secure DEA approval, meaning those private laboratories would be unavailable for hemp testing after the USDA’s delay in the requirement has expired.
North Carolina currently has four DEA-registered laboratories, according to a list of DEA-registered labs published by the USDA. (Labs must contact the USDA to be on the list, so it may not be comprehensive.) Requiring samples from every lot of hemp to go through a DEA-registered facility would likely be a problem because of the vast number of samples and the capacity of labs, but also because the state likely would not have enough staff to collect samples, Melton says.
“In Connecticut, we don’t have any DEA-licensed facilities,” Commissioner Hurlburt says. There is only one DEA-licensed facility in New England, according to the USDA list. “This isn’t just a simple requirement on paper. This is an actual restriction to access,” Hurlburt says.
What’s Next
Much could change before Oct. 31, 2020, when states must have a USDA-approved plan in place to grow hemp. Some states have been holding off on submitting a plan to the USDA until the agency clarifies certain aspects of the interim final rule.
Kettler of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture said the state chose to operate under its 2014 pilot program plan for this growing season because of uncertainty surrounding plant testing, lab testing requirements and the 15-day testing interval.
In states still operating under their pilot programs for 2020, farmers who grow hemp will be able to sell their crops, Kettler notes. Just because the pilot programs contain a research component does not preclude farmers from contracting to sell their crops. They simply are required to work with a university researcher in some capacity, he says.
Still unclear, however, is whether the USDA can allow states to continue operating under their pilot program plans after Oct. 31, or whether an extension of the sunset date requires an act of Congress. So, in the 2020 crop year, states will be operating under one of two regulatory frameworks: the USDA framework set forth by the interim final rule or a state-run pilot program framework, the latter of which is seen as less onerous to farmers.
“It might take a season or two of disasters,” says Kyle Sosebee, J.D., a Massachusetts-based hemp and cannabis lawyer. “I wonder if we’re going to see states that have USDA-approved plans just have disastrous growing seasons, where you see half the crops getting destroyed because they passed their [THC] limit, and then, possibly, the states that are still under their 2014 pilots doing well. Then there might be some sort of federalist revolt.”
Speaking strictly in the theoretical, Sosebee says he is watching to see whether a state flouts the USDA process and decides to create its own regulatory framework with help from a state legislature. In other words, “just make the bet that the feds aren’t going to do anything about it.”
Once the 2020 growing season is wrapped up, the USDA says it will re-open comments on the interim final rule to gather feedback from the year, so more changes may be in the pipeline. But of the states that have filed written comments thus far, Colorado had arguably the harshest words: “Rather than serving the public interest, the [USDA rule] subverts it by precluding experienced stakeholders from shaping the regulatory scheme upon which their livelihoods depend.”
Step Up Your Growing Game: 21 Tips from Researchers and Farmers
Features - Cover Story
In Part I of this three-part series, 8 experts lend advice to help you prepare for planting and get your crops off to the healthiest start possible.
Regardless of when you started farming hemp or whether you’re growing it for fiber, grain or cannabinoids, you’ve likely considered a lot at this point in the season. From disease prevention and nutrient delivery to employee training and more, you will have even more to contemplate as you monitor your crops throughout the year and prepare for harvest.
To guide you through the growing season, Hemp Grower has compiled a wide-spanning list of actionable tips you can implement this year or make note of as you prep for next year. We’ve spoken to cannabidiol (CBD), grain and fiber farmers, as well as university researchers at the top of their fields, to bring you the some of the best information the industry has to offer in this special three-part series.
In this issue, Part I shares insights to help you prepare for planting and get your crops off to the healthiest start possible—from field selection and soil prep to pest prevention and more. (Headshots courtesy of respective subjects.)
Carl Duley’s concentration for the past 30 years as an agriculture agent at UW-Madison has been on small grains, malting barley and oats; however, his foray into hemp production began in 2018 in Wisconsin’s Buffalo County with three-quarters of an acre and one dual-purpose (fiber and grain) hemp variety. While his first year wasn’t very bountiful (weeds overtook the crop, and most of it was lost), he found much more success last year with eight to nine varieties in strip trials.
Janna Beckerman is an extension plant pathologist at Purdue University with a concentration in specialty crops (any crop in Indiana besides corn, beans or wheat). Her team has been growing hemp since 2014 and has partnered with several Indiana farmers for research through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the state’s hemp program. Beckerman and her team’s research in hemp has been published by the American Phytopathological Society as well as Elsevier’s Crop Protection.
Raymond Cloyd’s expertise is based on decades of experience in the horticulture and agriculture industries and centers on pest management in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes, turfgrass, conservatories, interiorscapes, Christmas trees, fruits and vegetables. His major clientele includes homeowners, master gardeners, and professional and commercial operators.
Jeff Kostuik spent 20 years as an agronomist and hemp contact for the government of Manitoba before joining HGI and HPS, Canada’s largest Canadian-owned bulk hemp supplier, in 2015. Kostuik’s mission is to continue the company’s decades-long pedigreed seed line and explore opportunities in CBD-rich varieties. His tips of the trade, he says, were acquired from what he calls the “school of hard knocks.”
Marty Mahan is a fifth-generation farmer based in Rush County, Ind., where he grows corn, soybeans and hemp on approximately 200 acres. At MHC, he advocates for hemp nationwide and educates farmers and legislators on hemp farming and the industry’s challenges. Mahan has been growing hemp for research and production since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill.
Shelby Ellison’s work in hemp started in 2019 as she discovered a need for more training on the crop at universities. Ellison requested permission to teach a hemp science course and acquired a grower’s license last year to learn how to grow hemp herself. She has since collaborated with multiple researchers at UW-Madison on multiple small plots of hemp in Arlington, Chippewa County and Buffalo County to focus on hemp for cannabinoids, grain and fiber. She offers tips for both novice and advanced hemp farmers.
LUKE ZIGOVITS
Owner and Farm Manager, Higher Level Organics LLC
Luke Zigovits’ Wisconsin-based farm is a USDA Organic-certified, AJP Fair-certified and Sun+Earth-certified operation. With more than 20 years of cultivating and breeding as well as traditional crop agriculture experience, Zigovits’ focus in hemp is to promote regenerative practices and advance the breeding of CBD hemp to include cultivars of various chemical compositions.
East Fork Cultivars is a 12-acre outdoor craft hemp and adult-use cannabis operation nestled in Southern Oregon. East Fork Cultivars, which now has 13 farming employees, has been in operation for more than five years. Its USDA Organic and Sun+Earth-certified hemp products are grown, dried, cured and later processed and sold for products like CBD beverages, Rogue Ales, Gaia Herbs and more. It also produces its own hemp seed line. Walker provides pointers for CBD-rich hemp flower farmers.
Luke Zigovits says testing your soil will help you understand your nutrient foundation.
In 2018, Duley’s first year of hemp production, he planted on June 6, which he believes was about two weeks too early. He experienced some temperature swings that he believes led to weed pressure. The hemp plants started to come up right away but then “it got cold,” he says, dipping to about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. “The hemp just sat there, and the weeds exploded,” he says. In last year’s trials, however, Duley clean-tilled his soil and planted around June 11, which he says was still likely one week too early, but his crop fared much better in the warmer temps. “Err on the side of planting too late and not too early because [hemp] really likes the warm weather and sun,” he says.
2. Start with a clean field.
Duley suggests doing “anything you can do to start with a clean field, whether it’s … chemically or through tillage.” Currently, no chemical applications to kill weeds are approved for hemp crops once the seeds are planted, so starting with a weed-free bed from the get-go is essential. If growers are using chemicals, Duley says to make sure those chemicals don’t have residual properties. “Check the label before applying. Also, check the label of any pesticide that was used on previous crops. Some pesticides will have restrictions on the number of months before a different crop can be planted,” he says.
3. Follow the right crops.
Certain crops, such as soybeans and sunflowers, are very susceptible to white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), and so is hemp, Duley says. Therefore, planting a hemp crop immediately after these two crops could be a recipe for disaster if the disease persists in your soil. Duley notes, however, that if white mold remains, planting in 15- to 30-inch rows will promote airflow to the plants, which can help reduce early disease pressure.
4. Understand the nutrition and disease trade-offs of tilling.
“When I try to talk about any sort of agricultural technique, I like to point out that there’s trade-offs,” Beckerman says. “So when you don’t till, you’re conserving your soil structure and your top soil—that black gold that we covet. … You’re protecting that, but you’re also leaving in place all the pathogens that cause disease.” However, tilling’s relation to disease specifically in hemp has not been extensively studied yet.
5. Conduct a pilot study before you go full bore on hemp production.
Beckerman suggests that farmers, especially smaller farmers, start growing hemp on a small plot of land when they’re considering adding hemp to their production. It allows participation without making a large up-front investment, she says. “We’ve worked with several growers who have been slowly working their way up … whether it’s [to] a couple hundred acres or over a thousand acres,” she says.
6. Understand your major pest offenders.
Hemp is susceptible to about 20 chewing and 20 sucking insect and mite pests, Cloyd says. These include caterpillars, beetles, aphids, leafhoppers, mites and more. Some insect and mite pests that impact crops on the same farm, such as corn and soybeans, will also feed on hemp plants. One such offender is the corn earworm, which feeds on buds in the flowering stage and can cause significant damage. Some pests, such as the twospotted spider mite and aphids, are “cosmopolitan,” Cloyd says, meaning they are present in most regions of the country. Others will be more unique to certain geographic locations. In addition, it’s important to know how these insect and mite pests attack hemp plants. For instance, while the corn earworm will attack buds, leafminers will feed on leaves. “Not all the insect and mite pests I’m talking about feed on all stages of growth and development,” he says.
Corn earworm and associated damage to the bud of a hemp plant.
“You cannot allow outbreaks to occur because by that point, it’s too late,” Cloyd says. “There are materials [you can use] such as mineral oils, azadirachtin and insecticidal soaps, but remember, these are contact [applications] with short residual activity, and outdoors, they will not last very long. You need to obtain thorough coverage of all plant parts.” Cloyd notes that while farmers may never be able to completely eradicate pest problems from crops, being as preventative as possible will help reduce future problems.
8. Consider planting a ‘trap crop.’
A trap crop is one that is susceptible (or even more susceptible) to the same insect and mite pests as the main crop, Cloyd says. The trap crop lures insect and mite pests away from, and therefore protects, the main crops. Marigolds, for example, will attract mites and thrips, while eggplants are very susceptible to flea beetles. “People might want to find a reliable source regarding trap crops available and what they will lure,” Cloyd says. He suggests planting trap crops 10 feet to 30 feet away from the main crop. “You don’t want them too close because if the trap plants start dying down, then the insects with wings move onto the hemp crop,” he adds. One to two rows of trap plants may be all that is needed. “It really depends on the size,” he says. If the main crop is near a wooded area, then it would be best to place the trap plants near the wooded side of the crop. If a corn or soybean field is within a mile radius, then Cloyd recommends planting on the main crop’s windward side.
9. Select the proper field.
“A loam or clay loam soil type is most preferred for growing hemp,” Kostuik says. If soil consists predominantly of clay, or if it’s heavier, its particle sizes are too small and will cause compaction, which can prevent infiltration of water and nutrients to the root zone, he adds.
In addition, “you should probably pick a field where [a] residual herbicide was not used,” he says, because hemp is very sensitive. “Not very many herbicides are registered for hemp and for a reason: It’s very susceptible to damage from a number of different—and particularly those residual—herbicides.”
10. Seed shallow at the right temperature and moisture levels.
Kostuik recommends seeding when the soil temperature is at least 55 degrees to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. “Hopefully there’s some moisture within the top inch [of the soil] that you’re seeding,” he says.
“You obviously can’t have the soil dry right out, but you don’t want excess moisture,” he adds. Unlike soybeans, which can become dormant until conditions are favorable and start to grow, hemp is a tougher plant to get going, he says, adding that if water “ponds for a period of a day or two, hemp just does not survive.” Kostuik says that wet conditions will cause the plant to become chlorotic (turn yellow) and perish.
Kostuik recommends seeding hemp at a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch deep, which will allow the seeds to germinate and emerge from the ground quickly, he says.
“Don’t overpack the seed,” Kostuik adds. “A lot of people ask if they should roll the field before and/or after, and I discourage that. As long as you can control your seeding depth, there’s probably no need for that.”
11. Pay close attention to seed density.
“We target a seeding rate between 25 to 30 pounds of seed per acre [for grain]. On the fiber side, you might up that to 35 to 40 pounds at a minimum,” Kostuik says. While he calls for more research on the topic, this is the rate he’s found most beneficial to achieve adequate plant spacing and prevent weed pressures. This will also help the fiber crops achieve their desired “palm tree” look, as Kostuik calls it, which keeps plant canopies at the top, allowing for better air circulation and easier mechanical harvesting.
12. Find a way to seed that works for you.
“There’s more than one way to get that seed in the ground in the fiber world because it doesn’t have to be planted in rows,” Mahan says. Farmers often can use equipment they use for their other crops. “Typically, you don’t want to go any more than a half-inch deep,” he suggests. He’s used a bean drill to seed in the past, but he struggled a bit to avoid pushing the seeds too deep into the soil. On the other hand, he says, “when you use a broadcast spreader or if you use [a] Brillion seeder, those are just laying the seed on top of the ground.” After the seed is broadcast, he says, farmers can use a harrow or another piece of equipment to push the seeds down for good soil contact.
Growers who have more than an acre of production may benefit from using specialized equipment.
13. Understand your proximity to other hemp crops.
Hemp is a wind-pollinated crop, Ellison says, so it’s important for farmers to understand whether their neighbors’ crops could pose cross-pollination issues, especially for farmers growing for cannabinoid production and working with female plants. “I would say within a 3-mile radius of you, you want to know if anyone is growing hemp for grain or fiber production, which might be a source of pollen that could contaminate your field, as well as if there is any feral hemp, or ditch weed, near your field,” she says. “It’s going to take some communication and driving around and scouting what’s happening.” (Editor’s Note: For more about ideal buffer zones for avoiding cross-pollination issues, check out the feature “How Seeded and Seedless Hemp Crops Vary for Different End Uses” here.)
14. Find out if you can borrow equipment as you scale.
Depending on the farm’s size and what production practices will be employed, farmers may need to consider everything from a transplanter to an irrigation system. “You don’t necessarily need any specialized equipment until you get to more than 1 acre,” says Ellison. “Then you probably need to start talking to other people that you know are growing hemp near you and see what resources they have, and maybe you can share equipment.” The most important consideration for farmers is choosing equipment that is synergistic with their farming operations. For instance, the size of planting rows and total size of the plot could dictate if farmers use a mower, a rotor tiller or remove weeds by hand.
Ellison’s research in hemp began in 2019. Now her team at UW-Madison grows hemp in three Wisconsin counties.
Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison
15. CBD hemp planting density differs from fiber and grain.
Ellison notes that, fortunately, the price of hemp seeds and clones is starting to fall from very high prices just a year or two ago. “It used to be more along the lines of $1 to $2 per feminized seed. Now it’s getting to be more like 50 cents to $1,” she notes. But farmers should still be mindful of their seeding density, which factors into input costs as well as mechanization. “We’ve given the recommendations before of between 1,500 and 2,000 plants per acre,” she says. She also adds that there is a “new wave of interest in converting CBD production to being more mechanized, where it would actually be planted more like a row crop,” which would allow you to direct-seed the crop very densely and machine-harvest.
Planting density also matters when considering the crop’s end product. “If you’re trying for more of a boutique, smokable flower industry similar to the marijuana space, then having individual plants that are really well-tended to and really well-spaced apart [is] going to be more of the focus,” she says. “If you’re just trying to get as much CBD off the field as possible, then it might be going to these more highly mechanized, denser planting, mechanically harvested and extracted production systems.”
16. If growing for CBD, use feminized seed.
Ellison says starting with non-feminized seed will increase not only the amount of labor needed to get rid of male plants, but also the chance of accidental pollination—which can lead to CBD content losses. “The initial investment you will put into paying a little bit more for those clones or feminized seed probably will benefit you in the long run,” she says. (Editor’s Note: The previously noted row crop production model for CBD-producing hemp uses dioecious[both male and female] seeds.)
17. Diversify your genetics, especially if just starting out.
“The nice thing with diversifying your genetics is if something doesn’t perform well, you have something else to fall back on,” Ellison says. She also notes, “If you can get things that have a slightly different maturity rate, or a slightly different photoperiod, then you can spend some of your time harvesting the thing that’s mature first, and some of your time harvesting the second crop.”
18. Test your soil.
Testing the soil will help farmers understand their foundation and tailor their production plans to fill in the gaps, Zigovits says. A soil test can determine the pH, available nutrients, heavy metals, residual pesticides and more. “Using fertilizer without wanting to do soil testing, you’re really doing yourself a disservice because you could be really high in one mineral, and you’re adding it because you think it’s going to help the hemp … grow,” he says. But in reality, he notes, adding too much of a certain mineral could create toxicity issues. When growers know what’s in their soil, they can create a unique recipe that will help deliver exactly what it is the soil is lacking and what the plants need for healthy development. “I’m not adding the same thing every year because … we’re bringing balance to the soil,” he says.
19. Focus on your micronutrients and soil biology.
Healthy hemp crops need nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (commonly known as NPK) as their macronutrients, but they also benefit from micronutrients, so balancing a nutrient program is key for holistic plant development, Zigovits says. Instead of using a blanket application, Zigovits spot-checks areas of his plot and adds supplements when they’re needed. For instance, mycorrhizae fungi, biochar and worm castings—which help deliver beneficial microbes, carbon and other elements—balance out his nutrient regimen.
20. Ask your seed company for plant trialing data.
When it comes to selecting a seed company, “make sure they have data and, ideally, multiple years of data of how those cultivars have performed in a field,” Walker says. “That’s a really good sign of a professional breeder.” He adds that while requesting a certificate of analysis (COA) of the cultivars under consideration can be helpful, that document should also be taken with a grain of salt because it doesn’t speak to the true stability of the seed line—information determined through plant trialing, “ideally from multiple regions, multiple geographies, multiple sources,” he says. Fortunately, some breeders have started to work with university horticulture programs, he says, “and that is really valuable … because it’s more trustworthy, more valuable data from those third-party organizations that can verify a breeder’s claim … from professional trial programs.”
21. Know where your crop is going to go before it’s in the ground.
This year served as a cautionary tale for many hemp farmers who sat on hemp and had no buyers in place. “Hopefully we’ll see more savvy growing this year where people are growing specifically for a market,” he says. “It’s not like you need to have your entire crop pre-sold—that’s pretty rare, [but] at this point, I think the market is settled a little bit more and there are those [defined] categories: you’re growing just for commodity biomass; you’re growing just for extracts …; you’re working with brands that need particular … inputs; or you’re selling super high-quality trim flower.”
“Federal and California law now recognize the significance of, and encourage, hemp research and commercialization. But instead of supporting Apothio’s valuable work—including its leading research on non-psychoactive CBD and other cannabinoids to treat epilepsy and other life-threatening conditions—the defendants showed up without warning in full tactical gear and ordered the farmers to demolish all of the hemp crops.”
Katherine Eskovitz, a lead partner with legal firm Roche Cyrulnik Freedman, said in a press release regarding a civil suit filed by the firm’s client, Apothio LLC, against Kern County, Calif., and other individuals and government agencies for allegedly destroying 500 acres of hemp. The suit claims about 17 million hemp plants, worth more than $1 billion, were destroyed. The alleged destruction was among “the largest wholesale destructions of personal property by government entities in the history of the United States,” claims Apothio, an established agricultural research institution (EARI), in the suit.
Source: HempGrower.com
“We are encouraged by [the 2019] yield numbers and optimistic for the 2020 growing season. The department has been diligently working to open markets for growers to sell their hemp. We recently developed a policy allowing licensed hemp growers to sell product to licensed cannabis cultivators for use in medical and adult-use cannabis products.”
Jerry Costello II, Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Acting Director, stated in an April 2020 press release issued by the IDOA giving the final hemp harvest numbers from the 2019 growing season.
Source: Illinois Department of Agriculture
5 Questions with Lars Jensen
Special Advertising Section - Ask the experts: Propagation
A healthy start makes for a vigorous crop. Lars Jensen, national sales manager for Blackmore Company, discusses how various solutions can help growers in propagation and beyond.
1. How is Ellepot serving the hemp-growing market?
Ellepot provides a number of solutions for greenhouse and field hemp producers, each of which have been tested and validated by hemp growers. Our most versatile solution is the AirTray™ technology system, which allows growers to hold crops longer if needed without the crop developing circling roots. Combine this with Ellepots made with a certified organic mix, and the grower receives a recipe for a good start for a healthy crop.
The AirTray™ technology system provides extra air circulation to a hemp plant’s root system. Properly oxygenated roots mean faster development, better yield and faster transplanting and handling.
2. How do Ellepots placed in Blackmore’s patented AirTrays provide extra air circulation to a plant’s root system?
AirTrays™ have no horizontal surfaces, promoting air circulation between the tray and the Ellepot, which allows the plant’s roots to be air pruned and increases wet/dry cycles. Hemp plants now free of girdling roots are able to move water and nutrients to the rest of the plant through new secondary and tertiary roots. The combined AirTray™ technology system provides growers with flexibility regarding when they plant, should weather conditions affect an earlier or later planting date.
3. What should hemp growers do if they are interested in developing their own mixes or nutrition programs?
Growers who would like to develop their own mixes or nutrition programs should contact Blackmore/Ellepot USA. Team members are available to recommend a tailored solution, including various papers, trays, media mixes and fertility programs. We want to make sure customers have something that works well in either a greenhouse production environment and/or with a field transplanter.
4. What are Hemp Pots?
The success of Ellepots led to the development of the Hemp Pots™, a complementary product Blackmore introduced last summer during AmericanHort’s Cultivate industry event. These specially designed pots are for mother stock and greenhouse production of hemp and cannabis. The Hemp Pots™ expose the entire root system to air, allowing for better water distribution, root development and air pruning. The two-layer system also keeps the root base cooler by up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, giving the plants an even healthier root system.
5. Why should growers use Hemp Pots?
Hemp Pots™ allow growers to achieve the maximum yield in their hemp stock production through the power of healthy roots. Hemp Pots™ eliminate girdling and circling roots while promoting wet-dry cycles, air pruning and secondary and tertiary roots. If a customer is looking for plant health and yield, then the Hemp Pot™ is a must-test product.
Adam Koh
Paul Barbagallo
Cassie Neiden
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