Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Agronomic: hemp
Practices
- Crop Production: crop improvement and selection, varieties and cultivars
- Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research
- Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities
Summary:
The farmers and respective farms involved in the proposal hope to promote the growth of the fiber hemp industry in Kansas. Working together to purchase seeds, farmers will plant each variety across various soil types on irrigated and non-irrigated land using traditional and no-till techniques. Grant money will be used to purchase seeds, pay a portion of each hemp license fee to the KS Department of Agriculture, test the soil and pay a stipend to each farmer.
Hemp will be retted in the field and baled for transport to a decortication facility under construction in Augusta, KS. Knowing they have a buyer for the fiber hemp they grow, encourages these farmers to be involved. Growing three different varieties of fiber hemp allows the decortication facility to determine the best genetics for processing and future manufacturing.
The proposed study is foundational to establishing a bank of knowledge for hemp production in Kansas and the central plains. Today, little information is available for hemp producers to make decisions. The knowledge gained from this variety trial will help inform producers and provide valuable information to processors who are essential to create a robust hemp industry with long term benefits for agriculture.
Project objectives:
- Evaluate production for 6 varieties of fiber hemp on irrigated, tilled land in sandy loam soil
- Evaluate production for 6 varieties of fiber hemp planted on irrigated, untilled, clay soil with native grasses
- Evaluate production for 6 varieties of fiber hemp on tilled, dry land with clay soil