What to Know About Hemp Farming

What to Know About Hemp Farming

Top 3 Things to Know Before Jumping into Hemp

As a farmer you don’t want to just jump into hemp. You need to do your homework. There are three critical things you need to know first. 

  1. Genetics – If you buy the wrong genetics, you are going to get the wrong final product. There are many bad players in this loosely regulated hemp space. These players entice farmers by rock bottom pricing, and many farmers who don’t understand genetics shop for the best price. But just as the wrong seed for corn, alfalfa or onions is going to give you a bad crop, the same holds true for hemp. The difference is that in the hemp market someone might just lie to you about the genetics. Bad genetics can result in many failures such as a crop that:
    1. Is too high in THC and must be destroyed
    2. Is too low in CBD to be extracted profitably
    3. Has male plants and ruins your yields and your neighbors
    4. Yields poorly and does not produce the weight needed for profitability
    5. Is not acclimated to the region and fails

In many of the cases you will have a failed season that you won’t realize until you complete the season and harvest. The form of the genetics is also important. We highly recommend you read our article Seeds versus Clones – Where to “Start” to understand the risks involved. 

  1. Farming – You must know how to farm and how to farm in the area you plan to grow. Many people are excited to jump into Hemp to make money. They think because they have some family land to use, it will be easy and cheap. We strongly caution anyone against farming hemp, if they do not already have strong experience in farming and, most specifically, farming in their geographical area. Farmers spend years getting to know their region, the soil, the water table, the water composition, local pests, when the frosts are, and the weather impacts the plants. If you aren’t a farmer with deep experience in farming in your region, then you should find a great farmer to partner with who has grown crops over many seasons. A farmer that has grown seasonal plants like corn, alfalfa, wheat, onions, pepper, etc. This is someone who knows how to turn the soil each year and fight weeds and pests. 

  2. Hemp/Cannabis Knowledge – If your farmer doesn’t have hemp knowledge, that is OK, but then you should bring in a reinforcement. You will need someone with hemp knowledge. This can be a consultant to come in at the start of the season and periodically check in throughout the season. It does not have to be a full-time employee. 

Find someone that knows the cannabis plant. They will know the plant, nutrients, how it reacts to stress, and be able to educate you and/or your farmer on these topics.  

Did you know hemp, marijuana, cannabis are all the same species of plant? They are all Cannabis, but we have given them different names over the years that have provided different definitions. Hemp is a strain of the cannabis plant that has been bred to have high CBD and low THC (less than .3%). Marijuana is actually a slang term the government put on the plant for the strains with high THC (the cannabinoid that gives you the high feeling).
Find a cannabis, marijuana, or hemp consultant, ideally one that has grown both outdoors and in your region. 

Your first season will likely be your most costly. It is your learning season. If you get things right, you will still make a nice profit. But if you decide to skimp on any of the above, there is a chance you will fail miserably. All of these can turn into hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss very easily. 

But if you address these three main topics you will be poised for success. At the end of the day, this is just a plant. Once you get the right genetics and know how to farm it, it really isn’t that hard. 

To talk to one of our experts at Rich Global Hemp about hemp farming and our genetics, give us a call




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