Growing Hemp

5 wheel drive

I’m interested in getting into growing hemp but I have a million questions. From the point of view of carbon sequestration it’s a no brainer but Ireland seem to be lacking the processing facilities.

I see some old threads on here but nothing too recent.
Anyone on here growing it?

We could have this thread to share methods, seed varieties, harvesting methods, processing methods etc.

Let’s not get stuck into the debate about Cannabis and its legality and just stick to topics related to hemp. (Low levels of thc the psychoactive component so no getting high)

What yield per acre can a farmer expect in seed?
What yield per acre in flower ?
Cost of growing per acre?
How do you harvest the flower?
How do you harvest the seed?
What processing facilities are currently in the country?
What return per acre can a farmer expect?

Markcheese

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/tillage-focus-growing-and-harvesting-a-40ac-hemp-crop-in-co-wicklow/

I assume you've seen this article ? Worth a nosey anyway,

148multi

Was a lady on Midlands radio a few weeks ago, her company was looking for farmers to grow it, 3000 an acre she reckoned.

5 wheel drive

148multi wrote: »

Was a lady on Midlands radio a few weeks ago, her company was looking for farmers to grow it, 3000 an acre she reckoned.

Send on her contact details fast!!!
That could maybe be achievable if the whole of the plant was used and processed. Facilities just aren’t available in Ireland yet.

Reggie.

A local person here has sown it

Markcheese

Reggie. wrote: »

A local person here has sown it

How's it looking?
I could see it benefiting from being sowed under plastic like maize, (as to how environmentally friendly that is....?)

Markcheese

https://youtu.be/GJKnz9hlB3Q

I think this is taking the flowers off for hemp seeds, and then harvesting the rest for bedding,
Nightmare stuff if it wraps around something incredibly long strong fibers,

tractorporn

Markcheese wrote: »

How's it looking?
I could see it benefiting from being sowed under plastic like maize, (as to how environmentally friendly that is....?)

It doesn't need plastic, or sprays, or fertiliser it's as close to a zero input crop as you can get. Once it gets established it can grow in feet per week speed and the canopy is so dense is smothers any weeds so plastic would be redundant.

Markcheese

tractorporn wrote: »

It doesn't need plastic, or sprays, or fertiliser it's as close to a zero input crop as you can get. Once it gets established it can grow in feet per week speed and the canopy is so dense is smothers any weeds so plastic would be redundant.

The plastic wouldn't suppress weeds, it's to give at bit of Extra heat early in the year, to give the plant a head start and protect it from late frost..

tractorporn

Markcheese wrote: »

The plastic wouldn't suppress weeds, it's to give at bit of Extra heat early in the year, to give the plant a head start and protect it from late frost..

Your trying to over complicate something that's extremely simple. It's not planted till May and harvested in Sept so no real worries with frost and the plant itself is able to out compete any weed it comes up against

5 wheel drive

Markcheese wrote: »

https://youtu.be/GJKnz9hlB3Q

I think this is taking the flowers off for hemp seeds, and then harvesting the rest for bedding,
Nightmare stuff if it wraps around something incredibly long strong fibers,

How much for one of those machines I wonder!!! Don’t think the few acres I’ll be doing could justify. Serious outfit.

5 wheel drive

Reggie. wrote: »

A local person here has sown it

Any idea what he grows it for? Flowers or seeds?? Where does he sell the crop?

Would you be tempted to grow it?

Birdnuts

There was a significant acerage grown in this country back in the early 19th century - indeed there is a townland near where I grew up on the Kildare/Wicklow border called "Hempstown"

Gawddawggonnit

I’ve 63ha of hemp in the ground. I’ll post a few pics and figures when I can... but I’ll guarantee that there’s no €3-4K/ac available. If there is I’ll export some back to ye and we’ll split the profits. Simples.

Mad_maxx

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I’ve 63ha of hemp in the ground. I’ll post a few pics and figures when I can... but I’ll guarantee that there’s no €3-4K/ac available. If there is I’ll export some back to ye and we’ll split the profits. Simples.

What kind of machine harvests the crop?

5 wheel drive

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I’ve 63ha of hemp in the ground. I’ll post a few pics and figures when I can... but I’ll guarantee that there’s no €3-4K/ac available. If there is I’ll export some back to ye and we’ll split the profits. Simples.

That’s a fair concern. > 150acres. Is it all yours or have you farmers growing it on contract for you? What are you growing it for? Are u processing it yourself?

5 wheel drive

Does anyone know if there is any processing facility in Ireland for the fiber? Think it’s going to be the way forward.

handlemaster

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/tillage/wanted-farmers-to-grow-5000-acres-of-hemp-for-westmeath-firm-38292515.html


I can see alot of farmers getting into this. I wonder what the contracts would be like on pricing, quality etc

Wildsurfer

There was a thread on this a few days ago if you do a search

Bass Reeves

5 wheel drive wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is any processing facility in Ireland for the fiber? Think it’s going to be the way forward.

We have had a number of these great white hopes over the years. Remember, deer,elephant grass, Canola seeds in the last few years. IMO there is no such thing as a zero input crop., Ever crop must be taking some nutrient's out of the ground. I hate these people who blow up these new products and then every one is left high and dry.

There is an article in Yesterdays FI. You will have to be registered and have a licence to grow it as it is as it is the same family as the Cannibis plant but at a lower concentration. Soil needs to be free draining loamy and with a ph of 6.5 or above as well you will more than likely have to go organic. Seeds are aout 160/acre. From the sound of it land will need to be rolled before and after setting as the seed should not be more than 1/2'' deep when set. They are taling about setting by hand I presume with a seed fiddle or similar.

Markcheese

Bass Reeves wrote: »

We have had a number of these great white hopes over the years. Remember, deer,elephant grass, Canola seeds in the last few years. IMO there is no such thing as a zero input crop., Ever crop must be taking some nutrient's out of the ground. I hate these people who blow up these new products and then every one is left high and dry.

There is an article in Yesterdays FI. You will have to be registered and have a licence to grow it as it is as it is the same family as the Cannibis plant but at a lower concentration. Soil needs to be free draining loamy and with a ph of 6.5 or above as well you will more than likely have to go organic. Seeds are aout 160/acre. From the sound of it land will need to be rolled before and after setting as the seed should not be more than 1/2'' deep when set. They are taling about setting by hand I presume with a seed fiddle or similar.

Why would you need to set it by hand...?? Theres got to be stacks of drills out there that'll handle those small seeds?
Seen stuff on you tube with guys transplanting seedlings,(like vegetables) I'd assume that's for the more high value whacky baccy varieties,
The guy I'd read about on agriland was mainly using it for oil seed, and animal bedding instead of straw , so a very low capital start,and pretty much using existing equipment and systems,
And youre right about nothing for nothing, if your planning on getting high volumes of anything off a field, you're gonna have to put something back,
Wether it's manure, slurry, compost, chemical fertiliser, there's no such thing as a free lunch...

Buford T. Justice XIX

Wildsurfer wrote: »

There was a thread on this a few days ago if you do a search

Mod note: Threads now merged.

Buford T. Justice

Water John

The processing and marketing on Hemp is where the capital input is needed. If farmers don't take control of a significant portion of the business, they will again up just being price takers.

Reggie.

Bass Reeves wrote: »

We have had a number of these great white hopes over the years. Remember, deer,elephant grass, Canola seeds in the last few years. IMO there is no such thing as a zero input crop., Ever crop must be taking some nutrient's out of the ground. I hate these people who blow up these new products and then every one is left high and dry.

There is an article in Yesterdays FI. You will have to be registered and have a licence to grow it as it is as it is the same family as the Cannibis plant but at a lower concentration. Soil needs to be free draining loamy and with a ph of 6.5 or above as well you will more than likely have to go organic. Seeds are aout 160/acre. From the sound of it land will need to be rolled before and after setting as the seed should not be more than 1/2'' deep when set. They are taling about setting by hand I presume with a seed fiddle or similar.

The grass harrow should sow it so

_Brian

Water John wrote: »

The processing and marketing on Hemp is where the capital input is needed. If farmers don't take control of a significant portion of the business, they will again up just being price takers.

I expect contracts will be better for early entrants as they will try and build momentum. However as you say business and processors are conditioned now to cut farm prices to tie bone and in time that’s where it will end, what will make hemp in any way special that better margins will be paid to farmers.

Water John

Pretty much, milk is being parked at 30c/litre, all other land use will be benchmarked from that unless farmers control the industry.

Gawddawggonnit

Mad_maxx wrote: »

What kind of machine harvests the crop?

Combine harvester with a special header.

Gawddawggonnit

5 wheel drive wrote: »

That’s a fair concern. > 150acres. Is it all yours or have you farmers growing it on contract for you? What are you growing it for? Are u processing it yourself?

https://www.cavac-biomateriaux.com/?L=EN
I grow hemp on contract for this crowd.
The seeds and the biomass are harvested. It’s baled into big squares and I’ve to store them until collection. The longer that they’re stored, the more I get paid.
It’s probably our worst paying crop. Then again there’s feck all work in it. Plant it as cheaply as possible and close the gate. No sprays needed.
Combine arrives and harvests it without telling me. Harvesting costs are paid by the Coop.
Hemp is a handy break crop. We grow it in places where it’s awkward for us like out of the way places etc.
We’d be lucky to gross €800/ha, but it’s a great way into wheat. To me, if it wasn’t a good break crop, I wouldn’t be bothered.

Seed works out at about €160/ha.

wrangler

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

https://www.cavac-biomateriaux.com/?L=EN
I grow hemp on contract for this crowd.
The seeds and the biomass are harvested. It’s baled into big squares and I’ve to store them until collection. The longer that they’re stored, the more I get paid.
It’s probably our worst paying crop. Then again there’s feck all work in it. Plant it as cheaply as possible and close the gate. No sprays needed.
Combine arrives and harvests it without telling me. Harvesting costs are paid by the Coop.
Hemp is a handy break crop. We grow it in places where it’s awkward for us like out of the way places etc.
We’d be lucky to gross €800/ha, but it’s a great way into wheat. To me, if it wasn’t a good break crop, I wouldn’t be bothered.

Seed works out at about €160/ha.

There's a huge amount of uses for hemp, it'd be grand to have a viable alternative crop so that we could, in Ireland, grow enough food for ourselves and then tell those that wont pay enough that we're growing something inedible on the rest of the land so fff off and starve,.........dream on Wrangler

5 wheel drive

Have any of ye joined the hemp cooperative Ireland?

drunkmonkey

The farmer in the Cooley peninsula is in the Sunday world today, started with 50 acres of Hemp hopes to have 10,000 acres growing by 2023.
https://celticwindcrops.com/

Danzy

drunkmonkey wrote: »

The farmer in the Cooley peninsula is in the Sunday world today, started with 50 acres of Hemp hopes to have 10,000 acres growing by 2023.
https://celticwindcrops.com/

Mighty man.

Hope it works well.

drunkmonkey

Probably the largest farm in Ireland at 10,000 acres, can't imagine there's many bigger. Must be serious money in it to be gobbling up land at that rate.

wrangler

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Probably the largest farm in Ireland at 10,000 acres, can't imagine there's many bigger. Must be serious money in it to be gobbling up land at that rate.

Hope it's not a pyramid scheme like ostriches or a crop that paid really well the first few years just by providing seed every year for expansion and then they couldn't find a viable use for it.

Remember when we used to sell houses to each other

Water John

Any industry needs to grow incrementally. The growing hemp is the easy part.
Sounds like he wrote a plan for Dragons Den.