Hemp, a crop that boasts a robust growth rate despite requiring less water, no pesticides, and less fertilizer, is quickly becoming a lucrative and alluring sustainable crop. Hemp has a seemingly infinite number of uses, allowing for the manufacturing of countless products while using everything from the leaves, seeds, oil and even the stalks. As an eco-friendly alternative for many other crops, hemp is rapidly taking over the industrial farming world, and in this article, we’ll answer for you why growing hemp is the right choice for you.
Debunking the Rumors
Although hemp is, in fact, a variety of the cannabis sativa plant, hemp is not psychoactive – meaning its consumption has no effect on the mind. While marijuana and hemp both produce tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol extracts (CBD), legal industrial hemp require THC levels to be below 0.3%. With the low presence of THC, there is fewer regulations and restrictions on the farming of hemp than marijuana, therefore many states now allow the industrial growth of hemp.
For years hemp farming has been a huge industrial product in Europe. With many farmers in the United States feeling as if they are unable to take advantage of this trending crop, or unwilling to jump into this seemingly controversial crop, the United States is lagging behind other countries in hemp production. But, with federal regulations on hemp farming lifting, and the recognition of eco-friendly uses for hemp growing, we at NBSAGTECH hope that farmers in the United States will start to engage in this lucrative and rapidly trending crop.
It’s Easier to Grow
Compared to many other industrial crops, growing hemp can save your average farmer a lot of headaches and money! Hemp can be grown from seed to full harvest using about half as much water as industrial crops such as corn or alfalfa. Also, hemp can be grown organically rather easily as it is resistant to most pests, and therefore requires minimal or no pesticides at all. Hemp can also tolerate a variety of soils and temperatures, making it a sustainable crop for many different locations and climates across the United States.
With an extremely aggressive growth rate, industrial hemp plants can reach heights of well over 10’. With close spacing, hemp will also outgrow most weeds under ideal farming conditions thereby killing off most weeds at different stages within the hemp growth cycle. With this type of close proximity spacing, hemp will offer the farmer another benefit, less weeding needed compared to other crops, thereby saving farmers money in regards to labor and time. Between the end value proposition of industrial hemp biomass sales values over traditional crops, the conservation on water and potential labor savings, growing hemp can immediately prove more lucrative than farming other industrial crops.
No Shortage of Usages for Hemp!
Once a farmer makes the leap into hemp and takes his crop from seeds to harvest, there is no shortage of manufacturing industries he can sell his crop too. For decades hemp has been used in the manufacturing of clothing, paper, building materials, food, and even some cosmetics. Recently there has been a boom in the manufacturing and consumption of CBD oil, a medicinal compound found in hemp with no THC or psychoactive properties – making it legal for consumption across all states in the U.S.
Although the production of CBD oil is one of the most popular and lucrative industries hemp farmers can break into, there is also plenty of opportunity for farmers to get their crop into the textile, culinary, and raw building material sectors.
So while many farmers are asking us why we’ve decided to grow hemp, we pose the following question to you – Why aren’t you growing hemp yet?
For more information on how to get your hemp farm started today, email us at info@nbsagtech.com or give us a call at (702) 992-0552. We look forward to exploring the possibilities today of how we work together tomorrow.
