Final report for FNC24-1402
Project Information
AST Genetics is a small operation consisting of two full time operators that has specialized in the development of novel varieties of industrial hemp on a 5-acre farm in Dover, Kansas. Seasonal help is hired as needed throughout the production cycle. Our research farm consists of a quarter acre nursery plot, a 2500 sq.ft. greenhouse and a climate controlled breeding facility. In 2023, AST Genetics leased 14 acres of production field to multiply our quantity of the AST 530 seed variety developed. We have utilized a cover crop and no-till planting system since 2022.
Since the Kansas Department of Agriculture industrial hemp research program first launched in 2019, farmers in the state have attempted to produce profitable industrial hemp fiber and grain crops. Ninety percent of farmers have failed to produce profitable industrial hemp crops due to a lack of
knowledge and resources providing guidance to establish on farm best practices for profitable production. This has been the norm in the North Central part of the United States. As with any commodity crop, soil preparation, nutrient content and planting methodology, harvest and post harvest processing are critical to profitability. Research in these areas have been sparse and fractional. This has left the vast majority of commodity producers seeking to include industrial hemp in their crop rotation at best mildly successful and at worse a failed industrial hemp producer. Every commodity crop producer that we know is looking for another crop to add into the rotation for both economic and soil sustainability purposes. Industrial hemp fiber and grain cultivars are that other crop, but the resources for success just aren't there yet.
AST Genetics was able to carry out a comprehensive comparative yield planting density trial to provide valuable data to commodity producers. The project also enabled us to to document and provide a production plan that utilizes cover crop and no-till planting in hemp production. The project design consisted of a field trial with the three variant planting densities of 15 lbs per acre, 25 lbs per acre and 50 lbs per acre each planted with 3 foot walkways as separation in 10'X 100' rows. It was our approach to utilize production methods and equipment that most commodity or hay producers have readily available on the farm or easy access to through a local extension office.
It was identified through this research project that 25lbs per acre is the optimal planting density of industrial hemp to optimize grain and fiber yield. The yields produced at this planting rate superseded those of both 15lb and 50lb per acre yields of grain and fiber when utilizing the methods and procedures documented in the trial.
We had 13 registrants for our field day that were emailed a copy of the production plan and research findings titled "2024 SARE Trial Project Overview/Summary/Findings: Determining Optimal Planting Density of Industrial Hemp in Cover Crop". Three recipients are on the processor side of the industry and will be distributing the information to producers that produce industrial hemp for them to process. The aforementioned report has been uploaded to the 2024 SARE Research page on our website where the progress photos are also located. This document will continue to be utilized to educate farmers and industry stakeholders that we encounter. AST Genetics is honored to provide information that aids in producing lasting economic value and increased quality of life to commodity producers and the industrial hemp industry by conducting this research.
The AST Genetics contribution to solving this problem is to determine, document and distribute the optimal planting density and best practices used in the production of a high performing hemp dual-purpose hemp variety when planted into a burned down cover crop with a no-till seed drill. Below is an overview of our trial plan.
Duration- 200 days
Variety planted- AST 530
Planting densities- 15lb, 25lb, 50lb
Data Collection:
Emergence Rate- 21 days after planting.
Photo documentation- Plot development photos will be taken every 30 days of the project and organized into a timeline relative to each plot.
Seed yield- Each plots seed will be dried, cleaned and weights recorded.
Fiber Yield-Each plots fiber yield will be recorded
Field Activity:
Cover Crop-A red clover cover crop will be broadcast planted
Burn Down-The cover crop will be chemically terminated 3-5 before planting the industrial hemp seed
Soil Nutrients-Soil nutrient tests will be taken and granular fertilizer mix prepared. Granular fertilizer will be furrow applied at planting.
Planting- A Great Plains no-till seed drill will be utilized to drill AST 530 seed at 15lb, 25lb, and 50lb in four separate replicates on 7.5" centers.
Irrigation- No irrigation will be used on this project.
Harvest- A Wintersteiger plot combine will be utilized to harvest the grain from the plots. A John Deere sickle bar will be used to cut the stalks and a John Deere square baler utilized to bale the stalks.
Seed Processing- Seed will be dried and cleaned using a Metra 200 grain cleaner
Overview:
The trial will begin in January of 2024 with the broadcasting of red clover crop seed at a rate of 10 pounds per acre. The cover crop is a sustainable way to add nitrogen and other nutrient matter to the soil therefore reducing nutrient input requirements at planting. It is also a sustainable method of weed mitigation prior to planting of the industrial hemp seed. The clover field will be chemically burned down with ethalfluralin in early May and the industrial hemp seed planted three to five days later. Ethalfluralin is an EPA approved herbicide for industrial hemp fiber and grain production when
used as a preemergent. We will plant and apply fertilizer in four separate five by fifty plots per planting density for a total of 12 plots using the Great Plains no-till seed drill. Each plot will be separated by a three foot walkway. Plots will be utilized to collect data and conduct field days throughout the growing season and harvested in the late fall when moisture levels in the plants are appropriate. Harvest will be done in two stages. The seed will be cut with the plot combine and a reel header. The fiber will be cut within a week of the seed cut. It will be retted in the field and baled for transport to our farm to be weighed on a floor scale. The seed will be cleaned on our farm with the Metra grain cleaner and each plots yield will be weighed.
Upon completion of data entry, we will produce a comprehensive report to serve as a best practices guideline for producing industrial hemp including a recommendation of optimal planting density based on the trial data.
Objectives:
- Determine if fifteen, twenty five or fifty pounds per acre is
the optimal planting density for fiber and grain production. - Document soil preparation, planting, harvest and post harvest
processing procedures utilized. - Equip producers with knowledge and resources by hosting field
days and distributing a comprehensive report upon project
completion to attendees of field days and other interested
producers.
Research
Planting Date: June 1, 2024
Overview:
The industrial hemp variety, AST 530, was planted at three different planting densities on June 1, 2024. The variety was planted at 15, 25 and 50 pound per acre densities in 10’ X 100’ plots utilizing the methods and procedures outlined in this report. The trial was conducted on crop ground located in Shawnee County, Kansas.
The purpose of the trial was to determine the optimal planting density of the AST 530 industrial hemp variety utilizing the sustainable agricultural practices of cover cropping and no-till planting for the benefit of crop producers in the United States.
Methods/Procedures:
Soil Preparation
A red clover cover crop was frost seeded at a rate of 10lbs/acre in January of 2024. The established cover crop was then terminated 2 days before planting. Label rates of Sonalan were spray applied to the clover and incorporated into the soil by means of cultivation at ½ inch depth. Label rates of Glyphosate were spray applied to the soil surface immediately following the Sonalan incorporation.
Soil Tests: PH-7/ NPK readings-adequate
Planting
Fertilization: A granular mix of 200-50-60-14S pounds per acre of fertilizer with Urea as the nitrogen source was furrow applied at time of seeding.
Planter: A Great Plains no-till seed drill with disc opener and closing wheel was utilized to plant the trial plots on 7.5-inch row centers at ¼ to ½ inch depth. Rate settings were adjusted to the respective planting density per acre based on plot designation.
Production
Emergence Rate: 95% at 21 days after planting
Canopy: Early July
Pesticides: No pesticides were used in the trial
Stand Height: There was no significant variance in the overall stand height of the trial plots when compared to the other populations. The combined mean of 20 of the trial plots was 7.5 feet in height.
Weed Pressure: Sonalan did not appear to have significant residual impact on weed pressure. Canopy was reached in adequate time to suppress nearly all the weed pressure. Morning glory made its way up some stalks, but did not impact plant vigor or yield.
General Observation: The AST 530 variety is a late flowering variety of industrial hemp. There were no significant signs of biotic or abiotic stress throughout the grow cycle. There was a significant dry period in late July to the middle of August which did not seem to impact the vegetative growth of the plants but may have impacted the flowering and seed development of the variety.
Harvest
Timing: Mid-October
The seed harvest was completed at a point at which the flower appeared fully developed, most of the calyxes were browning and a small amount of seed shatter at lower nodes was observed. The stalk harvest was completed 5 days after the seed harvest.
A significant factor in seed harvest timing was the avian pressure observed in the field. It is estimated that roughly 20-25% of seed yield was lost to the birds. A supersonic bird detouring device was placed near the field and was temporarily effective. It is highly recommended to utilize an avian spray deterrent when producing hemp for grain at scale.
Equipment:
Plot Combine- A Wintersteiger Nursery Master Elite plot combine with a 5 ft. draper reel header was utilized to combine the trial fields. A customization to the feeder opening was made to reduce seed loss at the junction. The threshing drum distance from concave was set at 10mm in the front and 20mm in the back. Drum speed was adjusted to ¾ speed and fan was set to high output. A standard grain sieve pan was used.
The final threshed seed had a good amount of flower matter in the bin. A more powerful fan reduces this significantly. A row crop combine with fan speed at ¼ output or less will remove material from the seed much better than our research combine.
Seed lots were placed in research lot bins with airflow and dried to 10% moisture content. It is imperative to get seed in a dryer within hours of harvest to prevent overheating of the seed and spoilage.
Upon successful storage of the seed, the stalks were cut using a 6ft sickle mower. The five-day window post-seed harvest allowed the stalks to dry to 15% moisture content in the field. The stalk material was immediately windrowed, bailed, labeled and stored under cover. The average stalk diameter at harvest was .65 inches.
Post Harvest
A Metra 200CDC was utilized to clean the seed before bagging. This equipment utilizes a cyclone air system to remove stems, foreign matter, underdeveloped seeds and floral material from the final seed lot. Each trial plot’s designated material was ran through the cleaner twice to ensure a clean final lot of seed. The airflow was set to 7.1mph and the gate opening set to 1.5. The air cleaner proved to be very effective at cleaning the seed.
Once cleaned, the seed was placed in designated double wall seed bags and weighed according to the trial plot from which it was harvested.
The stalk bales were weighed based on plot designations.
The table below contains these calculated harvest values along with estimated financial values based on current market conditions in 2024.
| Density | Grain Yield(lb/Acre) | Fiber Yield(lb/Acre) | Grain Yield($/Acre) | Fiber Yield($/Acre) | Seed Cost/Acre | Estimated Transport/Acre | *Other Input/Acre | Gross Profit/Acre |
| 15lb/acre | 1037.60 | 3891.36 | $933.84 | $583.70 | $52.50 | $583.70 | $320.00 | $561.34 |
| 25lb/acre | 1224.47 | 6635.64 | $1,102.02 | $995.35 | $87.50 | $995.35 | $320.00 | $694.52 |
| 50lb/acre | 984.46 | 6374.28 | $886.01 | $956.14 | $175.00 | $956.14 | $320.00 | $391.01 |
| Assumptions: | ||||||||
| Grain Value/Lb | $0.90 | |||||||
| Fiber Value/Lb | $0.15 | |||||||
| Seed Cost/Lb | $3.50 | |||||||
| Transport Distance | 50 miles | |||||||
| *Other Inputs: | ||||||||
| Herbicide | Per Label | |||||||
| Fertilizer | 200-50-60-14S | |||||||
| Cover Crop | 10lbs/Acre |
Based on the results of the 2024 density planting trial and procedures listed above, it was determined that a planting density of 25lbs per acre produces the highest grain and fiber yields when compared to the planting densities of 15lbs per acre and 50lbs per acre when utilizing the industrial hemp variety AST 530 as input seed.
The financial projections listed above are estimates based on market conditions in 2024 utilizing the production system documented in this trial that includes the sustainable agricultural practices of no-till farming and cover cropping. No harvested material was sold that was produced in this research study. The financial estimates listed above are for informational purposes only.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Curricula, factsheets or educational tools
The document titled, "2024 SARE Trial Project Overview: Determining Optimal Planting Density of Industrial Hemp in Cover Crop" was produced based on the production activities performed during the trial and the trial results. This document is available for free on our company website.
Tours
There were two individual tours given as a result of the field day promotions. Two industrial hemp processors came and toured the research fields after the field day took place.
Workshop/field day
A field day was held at the trial location in which several industry stakeholders, lawmakers and producers attended. In this event, we went through a high level overview of the industrial hemp industry, explained the significance of the trials to the industry and toured the trial plots with participants. The event lasted roughly 2 hours and led to many follow up conversations about industrial hemp production and sustainability in agriculture.
The field day was publicized by email to the SARE network, the Planted Association of Kansas by means of Facebook and by general word of mouth to several producers and industry stakeholders in our network. We intend to utilize our results to educate producers by making them available on our company website and whenever the opportunity presents itself in our daily endeavors in the industrial hemp industry.
Learning Outcomes
It was discovered through the execution of this project that 25lbs per acre is the optimal density to seed drill industrial hemp into terminated cover crop for optimized grain and fiber production when compared to 15lbs per acre and 50lbs per acre planting densities. This is significant for us and others producing or considering to produce industrial hemp fiber and grain. Traditionally, the recommendations have been 15lbs per acre for optimal grain production and 50 lbs per acre for optimal fiber production. The main disadvantage of these findings is that they are limited to the AST 530 variety of industrial hemp. Other varieties of industrial hemp may have another planting density that optimizes yields. If asked for a recommendation regarding the planting density of the AST 530 of industrial hemp for fiber or grain production, I would tell the farmer to plant at 25lbs per acre regardless of location or soil composition.
Project Outcomes
Harvest yield related to time of planting would be an impactful trial.