Farmers 'could be given licences to grow cannabis

drunkmonkey

The Department of Health said it may review its policy given its difficulty in sourcing cannabis product.
Source

Great news for farmers and the population in General.

There are a few hemp farmers in Ireland who could very easily switch to the THC version of the plant. From a regulatory point of view do you think the licenced Hemp farmers will be the first to be allowed grow it or will it be open to all famers to apply for a licence?
What do you think is the best way to position yourself for the new opportunity? Get a hemp licence? from my understanding you can get a licence as long as you have a contact for someone to buy it off you.

There is a huge export opportunity here with some European countries already having to source cannabis outside the EU.

It also means some new toys on the farm : )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJKnz9hlB3Q

GinAndBitter

Have we the climate to grow decent bud outdoors though?

drunkmonkey

GinAndBitter wrote: »

Have we the climate to grow decent bud outdoors though?

No all year round but yes. We have enough time for 2 harvests depending on the summer. The further west and south the better.

We already grow hemp and it's 1st cousin Hops.

emaherx

drunkmonkey wrote: »

No all year round but yes. We have enough time for 2 harvests depending on the summer. The further west and south the better.

We already grow hemp and it's 1st cousin Hops.

We'd never be left in peace with it though, product would disappear from our fields before we'd get to harvest it. Or do we hire armed gaurds too?

GinAndBitter

emaherx wrote: »

We'd never be left in peace with it though, product would disappear from our fields before we'd get to harvest it. Or do we hire armed gaurds too?

That's a very good point, I'd wonder how they make it work in other country's.

bogman_bass

You can grow hemp outdoors but cannabis is indoors in an industrial unit. It will be grown but not by farmers

drunkmonkey

emaherx wrote: »

We'd never be left in peace with it though, product would disappear from our fields before we'd get to harvest it. Or do we hire armed gaurds too?

If we go down the Canadian route that won't be an issue. They can grow their own at home so no need to go robbing anyone. Your always going to lose a bit anyway rabbits love the stuff and so do cows. There's nobody going to try and steal a few acres of cannabis.

GinAndBitter wrote: »

That's a very good point, I'd wonder how they make it work in other country's.

In Italy it's farmed by the Italian Army, that doesn't really work too well, it's too expensive and they can't produce enough.

bogman_bass wrote: »

You can grow hemp outdoors but cannabis is indoors in an industrial unit. It will be grown but not by farmers

Cannabis is 100% an outdoor plant especially in Ireland as we don't have the same problems as other countries with extreme heat and bugs. it's already grown here but without THC in it.

Stonewall Jackson

GinAndBitter wrote: »

Have we the climate to grow decent bud outdoors though?

Yes we do have the climate to grow very good ganja outdoors anywhere on this Island with very little effort.
The season goes from mid May to Sept/Oct.
That's plant out the seedlings towards the end of May and harvest finished plants from early September. That's photoperiod plants.
Now if it were Autos that was growing, then two harvests can be done within the same timeframe.
Yield would vary from season to season depending on the weather but its definitely a business we should be in. Green Gold!

Security is the main issue as there would be gangs of lads (rippers) raiding fields all over the shop.
Yes armed guards would be ideal but not going to happen here.

So it would probably have to be grown in an artificial environment in a very high security warehouse or in fields with prison style fencing around them.

drunkmonkey

The criminals already grow and import it here. I don't think this idea of people running around with scythes cutting down hundreds of acres of cannabis is going to happen.
We have it valued way too high though as stealing 5 plants would give you the equivalent of a years industrial wage if you were to sell it.
Also harvest is a short window so there only worth taking when ready.

yosemitesam1

It was on country file before Christmas. Largest glasshouse in UK was doing a few crops of it a year.
The medicinal cannabis is bred for a different active and is very low in whatever it is that makes you high. For pharmaceutical use though it was highlighted how consistency is the most important thing so there's no fear of it ever being a field crop here, an alternative for glasshouse owners at best

Stonewall Jackson

drunkmonkey wrote: »

The criminals already grow and import it here. I don't think this idea of people running around with scythes cutting down hundreds of acres of cannabis is going to happen.
We have it valued way too high though as stealing 5 plants would give you the equivalent of a years industrial wage if you were to sell it.
Also harvest is a short window so there only worth taking when ready.

Criminals do grow it and import it, but nothing beats free. Im not arguing, just chattin' **** but maybe you are underestimating how popular free cannabis would be here.

Personally, I just think any citizen who wants to grow it themselves for recreation or for health reasons should be allowed do so without fear of being criminalized. Its not the gateway, alcohol&tobacco are but thats another story done to death
Off to work, have a nice day guys.

drunkmonkey

Cannabis is free here already just illegal. Plenty of shops sell the seeds. Grows wild.

emaherx

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Cannabis is free here already just illegal. Plenty of shops sell the seeds. Grows wild.

What experience do you have of farming?

We already have issues with scumbags damaging crops that are of no value to them.

keepalive213

I can't see how this is possible, outside, here in Ireland. We're a bit too far from the equator.
If it was possible every pot head from kerry to derry would be growing it in some secluded spot.

endainoz

keepalive213 wrote:

I can't see how this is possible, outside, here in Ireland. We're a bit too far from the equator. If it was possible every pot head from kerry to derry would be growing it in some secluded spot.

How do you know they aren't already?!

emaherx

drunkmonkey wrote: »

There's nobody going to try and steal a few acres of cannabis.

Can and has been done in this country for less valuable cereal crops.

keepalive213

endainoz wrote: »

How do you know they aren't already?!

Irish weather is too cold and not sunny enough, I don't even think it could happen in standard greenhouses.

emaherx

keepalive213 wrote: »

I can't see how this is possible, outside, here in Ireland. We're a bit too far from the equator.
If it was possible every pot head from kerry to derry would be growing it in some secluded spot.

Was cutting silage a few years ago and someone was growing some in some pots on the headland of my field. I left it where it was but it was gone before I got the baler.

endainoz

keepalive213 wrote:

Irish weather is too cold and not sunny enough, I don't even think it could happen in greenhouses.

Its possible to get hybrid seeds more resistant to temperate climates, so yeah it's possible.

keepalive213

emaherx wrote: »

Was cutting silage a few years ago and someone was growing some in some pots on the headland of my field. I left it where it was but it was gone before I got the baler.

They would never flower outside here, no flower = no bud.
Lots of risk and no reward.
Kinda like farming this weather!

emaherx

keepalive213 wrote: »

They would never flower outside here, no flower = no bud.
Lots of risk and no reward.
Kinda like farming this weather!

Can't say I know what Happened to them I suspect they were grown by a few local kids that wouldnt exactly be plant experts.

Thud

From watching Murder Mountain on Netflix there's an Indica type that originated in the Himalayas that grows in the foggy mountains of California so would imagine that would be more suited to here than the warm climate (Sativa) type.

From that watching that series, legalization greatly decreased the street price and registration fees and paperwork put most of the small growers out of business, I'd imagine something similar would happen here.

endainoz

keepalive213 wrote:

They would never flower outside here, no flower = no bud. Lots of risk and no reward. Kinda like farming this weather!

Yes they can....

gctest50

What harm is a greenhouse, you'd be warm and in out of the weather




https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/545352/the-worlds-biggest-cannabis-farm/

The firm’s director of botany, Dr Potter, adds: “Once you’re in, it’s more
like a garden centre. It’s a very serene working atmosphere.”

Despite being surrounded by the plants, Dr Potter says he’s never been tempted
to experiment with the drug, joking: “Real ale is my drug of choice.”

TheMilkyPirate

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Cannabis is 100% an outdoor plant especially in Ireland as we don't have the same problems as other countries with extreme heat and bugs. it's already grown here but without THC in it.

You must be joking. You can grow it outdoors yeah but it will be ****e and of no use whatsoever for medicinal use. It will be grown indoors in huge grow houses.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

keepalive213 wrote: »

I can't see how this is possible, outside, here in Ireland. We're a bit too far from the equator.
If it was possible every pot head from kerry to derry would be growing it in some secluded spot.

Incorrect information. Cannabis can grow outdoors in Ireland and very well at that too. It's grown in Alaska and Russia, far from the equator. As with all plants and animals, you will need to select the correct species for the climate.

keepalive213 wrote: »

Irish weather is too cold and not sunny enough, I don't even think it could happen in standard greenhouses.

Wrong.

keepalive213 wrote: »

They would never flower outside here, no flower = no bud.
Lots of risk and no reward.
Kinda like farming this weather!

Wrong.

Where do you get your information? It's absolutely false.

keepalive213

Thaddeus Obedient Showdown wrote: »

Incorrect information. Cannabis can grow outdoors in Ireland and very well at that too. It's grown in Alaska and Russia, far from the equator. As with all plants and animals, you will need to select the correct species for the climate.



Wrong.



Wrong.

Where do you get your information? It's absolutely false.

Can you post a link to one of these fantastic seeds, strains so suited to our Irish climate or do you just automatically believe what you hear?
Have the guards ever discovered anyone here in Ireland growing it outside?

TheMilkyPirate

Thaddeus Obedient Showdown wrote: »

Incorrect information. Cannabis can grow outdoors in Ireland and very well at that too. It's grown in Alaska and Russia, far from the equator. As with all plants and animals, you will need to select the correct species for the climate.



Wrong.



Wrong.

Where do you get your information? It's absolutely false.

Have you ever smoked cannabis? Have you ever grown it? Have you any idea what you are talking about?

drunkmonkey

keepalive213 wrote: »

Can you post a link to one of these fantastic seeds, strains so suited to our Irish climate or do you just automatically believe what you hear?
Have the guards ever discovered anyone here in Ireland growing it outside?

Plenty grow here White Widow grows here in summer with little to no maintenance and that's one of the larger and stronger variations. You can pick up the seeds in floweshops, plenty of strains to choose from.
There was a farmer in tipp caught for growing it outside a few years back.

There's also plenty of farmers growing the versions without THC. They even have their own association. Some are supplying the CBD market legally.
Ollie was one of the first to do it here, https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/farming/news/oliver-moorehemp-thrives-in-coastal-north-kerry-414077.html

TheMilkyPirate

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Plenty grow here White Widow grows here in summer with little to no maintenance and that's one of the larger and stronger variations. You can pick up the seeds in floweshops, plenty of strains to choose from.
There was a farmer in tipp caught for growing it outside a few years back.

There's also plenty of farmers growing the versions without THC. They even have their own association. Some are supplying the CBD market legally.
Ollie was one of the first to do it here, https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/farming/news/oliver-moorehemp-thrives-in-coastal-north-kerry-414077.html

You can grow it outdoors here yes. But it will be useless bush weed and your yields will be terrible. There's a reason that even in the countrys that have the correct climate for it the majority is still grown in grow houses.

keepalive213

If growing outside was possible / feasible the guards would be regularly finding grow sites.
They're not.
And..... Unfollow

drunkmonkey

TheMilkyPirate wrote: »

You can grow it outdoors here yes. But it will be useless bush weed and your yields will be terrible. There's a reason that even in the countrys that have the correct climate for it the majority is still grown in grow houses.

You've more control in a greenhouse and easier get a lot higher yields. Your completely wrong on the majority of it growing outdoors. It grows fine here and is far from bush weed.
It all depends on what specification the Government lay down for its cultivation, what pesticides etc.

neris

We have a friend growing it over in Lithuania not far outside Vilnius on his farm. However its only hemp at the moment as the requirements to get it turned into medical or food grade cannabis requires a lot of testing. Also the stuff growing doesnt have the stuff in it that gets you high. Its the same with the medical stuff been grown in Canada and the USA. One of the big growers in Canada is buying up thousands of acres in the baltics and poland to grow aswell so if they can do it no reason we cant do it here once its properly monitored and security is in place.

TheMilkyPirate

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You've more control in a greenhouse and easier get a lot higher yields. Your completely wrong on the majority of it growing outdoors. It grows fine here and is far from bush weed.
It all depends on what specification the Government lay down for its cultivation, what pesticides etc.

I'm not completely wrong. She me a grow done outdoors here that would be of good enough quality for a dispensary or for medicinal use.

endainoz

keepalive213 wrote:

Can you post a link to one of these fantastic seeds, strains so suited to our Irish climate or do you just automatically believe what you hear? Have the guards ever discovered anyone here in Ireland growing it outside?

That's possibly against the rules, but a quick search on Google for 'white skunk automatic outdoor' will show you that it is indeed possible. Indoor will always give a better yield of course, but outdoor growing is a thing in Ireland. Being a skeptic saying no flowering possible is simply not true.

Over the last ten years or so hybrid strains have been developed that are resistant to harsher climates, that being said, sunlight is still needed for them to flower like pretty much all things that grow on Earth.

Could this stuff be good enough for medical use? I'm not sure really, I'd imagine it could from an organic sense but I'm not a horticulturist.

jh79

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You've more control in a greenhouse and easier get a lot higher yields. Your completely wrong on the majority of it growing outdoors. It grows fine here and is far from bush weed.
It all depends on what specification the Government lay down for its cultivation, what pesticides etc.

They'll have to adhere to GMP standards and will face the same regulations and therefore the same logistical hurdles as a pharma company. It's a very expensive process and would require lots of initial capital investment

This link shows a Cert of Analysis for Bedrocan. One of these would be required for every single batch produced. If the batch doesn't meet any one of the specifications it wouldn't be allowed on the market. If batches regularly failed to meet the specs they would lose the licence for not having full control over the process.


https://english.cannabisbureau.nl/doctor-and-pharmacists/documents/release-certificates-cannabis-flos-bedrocan/2019/01/21/18i10ey18k13

endainoz

keepalive213 wrote:

If growing outside was possible / feasible the guards would be regularly finding grow sites. They're not. And..... Unfollow

You either tried and failed to grow outdoors or your incredibly naiive, plenty of outdoor growing in Ireland!

jh79

Here is a very brief description of the process from the Bedrocan website.

https://bedrocan.com/about-us/our-method/

Gawddawggonnit

I grow a share of hemp for fibre, seed and CBD oil.

THC is the psychoactive in dope but hemp doesn’t have any. It does however have CBD.
I’m doubting that Harris etc would even dream of allowing the normal cannabis to be grown.
Hemp does need hot weather to reach its potential.

Cops do keep a close eye on it as locals could hide some THC producing plants in the middle of the hemp because it looks exactly the same...
More often planted in the middle of maize fields so as to benefit from irrigation.

TheMilkyPirate

endainoz wrote: »

You either tried and failed to grow outdoors or your incredibly naiive, plenty of outdoor growing in Ireland!

Plenty? Where? Have you any pictures of the buds? Are they of sufficient quality?

endainoz

TheMilkyPirate wrote:

Plenty? Where? Have you any pictures of the buds? Are they of sufficient quality?

Oh yeah what a great idea, let's post on a public website where people are growing something illegally!

TheMilkyPirate

endainoz wrote: »

Oh yeah what a great idea, let's post on a public website where people are growing something illegally!

So no then.

endainoz

TheMilkyPirate wrote:

So no then.

Would you like their names and addresses as well? I'm not going to post stuff that probably wouldn't be allowed by moderators, I doubt posting anything would change your mind either way, your not going to see someone taking a selfie with their crop like...

TheMilkyPirate

endainoz wrote: »

Would you like their names and addresses as well? I'm not going to post stuff that probably wouldn't be allowed by moderators, I doubt posting anything would change your mind either way, your not going to see someone taking a selfie with their crop like...

PM me instead so. You don't know any outdoor crops in Ireland that are of the same or even similar quality to an indoor grow because it isn't possible. Some people will argue it's not even possible in any country nevermind one that is severely lacking in vitamin d like Ireland.

_Brian

Honestly, this is Ireland.

Do people think these licences would be given to ordinary farmers if there is big profit in it.

Larry et al wouldn’t have it shown up before the ink on the legislation was dry.

davidk1394

Grew hemp here in 2008 as a trial plot. 5 acres in total. Can’t rember the variety or breed. All I knew was there was no point smoking it. It grew to about 6.5 ft tall or a bit more. Sowed it using a standard one pass, no fertilizer. Knocked it baled it and sold it to a local Camp hill center for heating. The year after we set maize in the entire field. Where the hemp grew the year previously the maize on that side was 10/15 cms higher than where the hemp wasn’t grown..

_Brian

davidk1394 wrote: »

Grew hemp here in 2008 as a trial plot. 5 acres in total. Can’t rember the variety or breed. All I knew was there was no point smoking it. It grew to about 6.5 ft tall or a bit more. Sowed it using a standard one pass, no fertilizer. Knocked it baled it and sold it to a local Camp hill center for heating. The year after we set maize in the entire field. Where the hemp grew the year previously the maize on that side was 10/15 cms higher than where the hemp wasn’t grown..

Baled green or dried ??
Would it be any good for bedding ??

Would it have fixed nitrogen through the roots, is that why the following crop grew better ?

davidk1394

_Brian wrote: »

Baled green or dried ??
Would it be any good for bedding ??

Would it have fixed nitrogen through the roots, is that why the following crop grew better ?

Baled dry with a round baler. I think it was knocked using a ring roller. From my memory it was dusty once baled. Never used it for bedding but I’d say it’s the same as pea straw

tricky D

It is doable to grow outdoors but with all the vagaries your yields will tend to be poor. We just do not have the light and heat to get good vegetative growth but flowering occurs just like everywhere else ie. when the daylight goes less than around 12 hours depending on strain. Also, while hardy, the plants are still prone to pests: scale, whitefly... These stressors can make the plant go hermaphrodite which halts the flowering which is not wanted. The seeds from these are always female which is a small bonus if this happens.

The main reasons for not growing outdoors are quality control as TMP alludes to, but also if the female gets exposed to pollen (male and the enemy of growers) your flowering stops, so bad buds. Game Over!

I have grown in the past and had a small involvement in the then non-viable Hemp Ireland about 20 years ago (only demand was for horse bedding at the time).

GinAndBitter

It can defo be grown outdoors here there is no question of that, I've had friends that had a plant or two in their back gardens in Dublin. Decent yield but i can't vouch for the quality of it because I didn't sample the goods myself.

One of the plants was a cheese.

drunkmonkey

tricky D wrote: »

I have grown in the past and had a small involvement in the then non-viable Hemp Ireland about 20 years ago (only demand was for horse bedding at the time).

I've read to make a decent income from the CBD oil you need 50 acers dedicated to it. Do you know what scale the guys are doing it here. Some of them seem to have other things going on like cheese etc.