Bruce Brolley knows there are a lot of people hyped about growing industrial hemp this year.
Every week the new crops agronomist gets about 20 phone calls from people interested in growing the crop. The calls started coming last November.
It’s a sign that hemp has endured some of the skepticism that greeted it last year and could someday become a regular part of the prairie crop mix.
“I think of all the alternative crops being investigated, hemp probably has one of the brightest potentials,” said Brolley, who works for Manitoba Agriculture.
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Hemp was grown in prairie fields last year after Ottawa lifted a 60-year ban on the crop. A distant relative of marijuana, industrial hemp was outlawed by the federal government in the late 1930s.
Manitoba was at the forefront of prairie provinces growing hemp in 1998. However, the interest has spread and acreage is expected to climb in all three prairie provinces.
Consolidated Growers and Processors can vouch for that. The company recently sent more than 500 information packages to growers, including 333 in Manitoba, 120 in Saskatchewan and 70 in Alberta.
CGP wants 12,000 acres of hemp grown on the Prairies this year. The company wants the acreage in Manitoba to increase at least six-fold.
“I guess the word is spreading that the guys who grew it did pretty well,” said Doug Campbell, general manager of CGP Canada. “But not every story will be a complete and unqualified success.”
There were many unknowns about the crop last year, such as the best time to seed, what varieties to grow and how to harvest. Research into those questions will continue this year with support from governments and private industry.
One of the biggest questions is the market available for the hemp seed and fibre. Much of the current emphasis is on growing hemp for seed, which can be used for edible oils and as a base for cosmetics.
A variety of hemp-based products can be made from the crop’s fibre, including insulation, boards and carpet backing.
“The markets are developing and I’m really scared that we are going to produce more than the market can bear and will flood the market,” said Brolley. “It would be nice to grow slower rather than too fast.”
Rene Saquet, a hemp grower from Laurier, Man., advised newcomers to contract with a company to grow the crop. That ensures a market for seed or fibre.
Prairie Hemp Ltd. is a group of hemp growers in Manitoba. Last year, the 48 member growers seeded 500 acres of hemp, producing an average yield of 625 pounds per acre. All seed from that crop is spoken for, Saquet said.
Meanwhile, CGP has not decided where it will build a processing plant for hemp fibre. Although it appeared the company was near a decision in January, Campbell said it is still reviewing what kind of technology to use in the plant.
