Hemp Farming

Hemp Farming

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.

In an article from Newsweek magazine, we learned that Cliff Thomason of Grants Pass, Oregon left the real estate business last year to become something of a pioneer: a hemp farmer.

He was the first in the state to legally grow hemp, after Oregon began licensing growers in 2014, joining 17 other states nationwide that have differentiated hemp from marijuana and set up separate regulatory systems for growing it. But Thomason is one of only 43 farmers in the state targeting their efforts at producing seed and fiber, as opposed to the cannabidiol oil extracted from hemp stalk and used both as a balancer of the psychoactive properties of marijuana and a purely medicinal product, easing symptoms from back pain to anxiety. In the booming cannabis industry, hemp has become a neglected stepchild. So is hemp viable as a crop? Let us ask Chris Boucher who is Vice President of Product Development at CannaVest Corporation in San Diego. He adamantly argues that hemp, which is a non-intoxicating cannabis, should be legalized throughout the country. I asked him if hemp was a viable crop. "We can stand on the border of America and look into Canada and see 100,000 acres growing there. It's one of their most viable crops. They are making twice as much as corn and wheat, maybe three times as much, depending on the contracts the farmer has. It is a multi-use crop so the harvest can be a dual harvest for fiber and food. Even though the hemp seed has less protein percentage, then let's say soy or pea protein or whey, it has a much higher digestibility.

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