Among the fi ndings: hemp takes four months to grow, while trees need 20 to 80 years. An acre of hemp can produce four or more times as much paper as an acre of trees. Hemp paper doesn’t need toxic bleaching and can be recycled twice as many times. Other studies concur. Paper without deforestation would be a major benefi t, but
It’s the fastest growing ag industry that we’ve ever seen.
~Tara Valentine
it’s a minor job on hemp’s profound résumé. “Hemp needs to be a part of every climate change conversation, not only because it sequesters huge amounts of carbon during cultivation, but also because construction products made out of hemp will continue to sequester carbon for up to 100 years,” says Stark. Hemp could also help save the depleted soil on U.S. farmland
that has been destroyed by tilling and synthetic fertilizers. “We have to rebuild the soil by putting carbon back in and increasing organic matter,” says Valentine. Hemp does this with a massive root biomass that breaks up compacted soils, improves water infi ltration and reduces runoff and erosion. Fast-growing hemp naturally suppresses weeds, needs no
pesticides and isn’t picky about soil, water or latitude. By com- parison, cotton is water-intensive and uses 25 percent of the world’s pesticides.
Income for Farmers Used in crop rotation, hemp’s soil-enhancing qualities can increase profi ts on subsequent crops. While cover crops don’t
usually have return value, hemp provides additional revenue streams. But the revenue isn’t quite there yet, because the supply chain isn’t complete. Seed supply, farm equipment, education, processing facilities and manufac- turers are all links that are developing simul-
taneously. “Fiber processing facilities will be available soon. Manufacturers are anxious to start incorporating hemp,” says Stark. T e lack of buyers isn’t deterring farmers. Neither are
warnings that current harvesting equipment can spark disaster when hemp fi ber wraps around rotating parts, heats up and combusts. Dustin Enge, a third-generation farmer in Prairie du Sac,
Wisconsin, started Honey Creek Hemp in 2017. He planted six acres of hemp. “I think it’s a long-term viable commodity for farmers. Right now, it’s the Wild West of agriculture. Everyone is trying diff erent things,” says Enge, who modifi ed a harvester for hemp. “I spent about two hours harvesting and 20 hours torch- ing the fi ber off my equipment.” Even so, he will plant more acres when he knows it will sell. Behold the sprouting of the hemp industry as an ancient plant takes root in the modern world.
Julie Peterson writes from rural Wisconsin and can be reached at
JuliePeterson2222@gmail.com.
March 2020
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