Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Wayne Hauge is on a quest of sorts to be able to grow an acre of industrial hemp on his farm located near Ray in northwestern North Dakota.
Hauge has applied to be one of those selected for the upcoming North Dakota Department of Agriculture's (NDDA) industrial hemp pilot program.
The pilot program will allow producers or academics to research industrial hemp at their own farms or facilities next spring, according to Rachel Seifert-Spilde, program administrator at the NDDA.
The upcoming research program is just another step in Hauge's journey to be able to see farmers in North Dakota finally be able to grow a new, hardy, rotational crop — industrial hemp — that can be manufactured into hundreds of viable products, including a healthy oil.
"It is not so much for me that I continue this. I want to see industrial hemp be able to be grown here so farmers have another alternative crop to grow — one that could be very economically viable down the road for all of us," Hauge said.
His journey dates back to the mid 2000s. After doing a lot of research on hemp, Hauge and another farmer, State Rep. David Monson of Osnabrock, N.D., were issued the first North Dakota Department of Agriculture industrial hemp licenses back in 2007.
They both jumped through many hoops, paying the mandatory fees, including a non-refundable $2,293 annual registration fee required by Drug Enforcement Agency, but they have never been able to grow hemp.
The DEA continued to ignore their requests for a federal registration, meaning they could have been arrested if they ever grew hemp, even though they had state licenses.
But a provision in the 2014 Farm Bill has now given authority to state ag departments, as well as universities, to cultivate industrial hemp for research purposes.
Besides North Dakota State University beginning industrial hemp trials at the research center near Langdon, N.D., the NDDA is starting its pilot research program.
"We were licensed in August by the DEA to be able to import industrial hemp seed," Seifert-Spilde said. In order to acquire industrial hemp seed for its pilot program, NDDA registered with the United States Department of Justice and DEA, as an importer of controlled substances.
"We are looking forward to producers and others explaining to us what kind of research they want to do and why," she said.
Seifert-Spilde said there has been interest in the pilot program and there are many types of research projects that could fit the program's requirements.
On the application form, there are boxes to check for the type of research people would be interested in, everything from compost, hempcrete, insulation, pest management, fiber, animal bedding, biofuel, research to conduct variety trials, to studying the technical aspects of harvesting, to agronomic trials, to processing the industrial hemp crop and even market research.
But they are still waiting for the first proposal to actually show up.
Doug Goerhing, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner, is encouraging producers and academics to present proposals for industrial hemp research.
A committee will rank the proposals, and those that are accepted will be able to obtain the industrial seed varieties they need from the Department of Agriculture, she said.
With the constant ups and downs for farmers, including the current year of down prices, having another crop like industrial hemp — which is grown right across the border in Canada — would make a huge difference in the economic bottomline, Hauge said.
There are many products manufactured from hemp, and North Dakota farmers deserve to be able to grow the industrial hemp seed to make those products, said Hauge, who besides producing lentils, malting barley and durum on his farm this year, is also an accountant.
Hauge has thought long and hard over the years about products that could be made from industrial hemp.
"One of the best products we could make here would be a type of concrete made out of industrial hemp. It is really hard, but tolerates shrinkage and doesn't crack as easily as real concrete," he said, adding a type of insulation can also be made from industrial hemp that can be used both inside and outside of buildings.
"You just spray it on and it gets thick, and tolerates either cold or hot enviroments," he said.
Hauge is excited about the very real possibility of seeing industrial hemp growing on North Dakota farms. He said he watched the crop being planted at Langdon last spring and attended their field days.
"Hemp grows 5 inches every two days, but it has to be controlled and cut according to what you plant to use it for, whether it be for seed, oil, or fiber," he explained.
But he still has a few questions for the Department of Agriculture before his application is complete.
When he read through the application process, he was surprised to see the amount of security that must be taken for any producer to grow the industrial hemp on his/her farm.
"The are still some things about having to have fencing and security that I need to find out about," Hauge said.
One provision in the application process (from DEA requirements) says the grower needs to block private access roads to the growing area with gates or barricades and install reasonable security measures to prevent theft, e.g. motion sensor lighting, fencing, game cameras, etc, and other measures.
Seifert-Spilde said another bill currently in Congress could eliminate those obstructions for farmers.
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015, which the U.S. Congress is now considering and has bipartisan support, would lift all federal restrictions on growing hemp and remove its classification as a controlled substance.
Hauge said he still plans to apply.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: North Dakota Producer Applying For NDDA's Pilot Industrial Hemp Program
Author: Sue Roesler
Photo Credit: Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
Website: Farm And Ranch Guide
Hauge has applied to be one of those selected for the upcoming North Dakota Department of Agriculture's (NDDA) industrial hemp pilot program.
The pilot program will allow producers or academics to research industrial hemp at their own farms or facilities next spring, according to Rachel Seifert-Spilde, program administrator at the NDDA.
The upcoming research program is just another step in Hauge's journey to be able to see farmers in North Dakota finally be able to grow a new, hardy, rotational crop — industrial hemp — that can be manufactured into hundreds of viable products, including a healthy oil.
"It is not so much for me that I continue this. I want to see industrial hemp be able to be grown here so farmers have another alternative crop to grow — one that could be very economically viable down the road for all of us," Hauge said.
His journey dates back to the mid 2000s. After doing a lot of research on hemp, Hauge and another farmer, State Rep. David Monson of Osnabrock, N.D., were issued the first North Dakota Department of Agriculture industrial hemp licenses back in 2007.
They both jumped through many hoops, paying the mandatory fees, including a non-refundable $2,293 annual registration fee required by Drug Enforcement Agency, but they have never been able to grow hemp.
The DEA continued to ignore their requests for a federal registration, meaning they could have been arrested if they ever grew hemp, even though they had state licenses.
But a provision in the 2014 Farm Bill has now given authority to state ag departments, as well as universities, to cultivate industrial hemp for research purposes.
Besides North Dakota State University beginning industrial hemp trials at the research center near Langdon, N.D., the NDDA is starting its pilot research program.
"We were licensed in August by the DEA to be able to import industrial hemp seed," Seifert-Spilde said. In order to acquire industrial hemp seed for its pilot program, NDDA registered with the United States Department of Justice and DEA, as an importer of controlled substances.
"We are looking forward to producers and others explaining to us what kind of research they want to do and why," she said.
Seifert-Spilde said there has been interest in the pilot program and there are many types of research projects that could fit the program's requirements.
On the application form, there are boxes to check for the type of research people would be interested in, everything from compost, hempcrete, insulation, pest management, fiber, animal bedding, biofuel, research to conduct variety trials, to studying the technical aspects of harvesting, to agronomic trials, to processing the industrial hemp crop and even market research.
But they are still waiting for the first proposal to actually show up.
Doug Goerhing, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner, is encouraging producers and academics to present proposals for industrial hemp research.
A committee will rank the proposals, and those that are accepted will be able to obtain the industrial seed varieties they need from the Department of Agriculture, she said.
With the constant ups and downs for farmers, including the current year of down prices, having another crop like industrial hemp — which is grown right across the border in Canada — would make a huge difference in the economic bottomline, Hauge said.
There are many products manufactured from hemp, and North Dakota farmers deserve to be able to grow the industrial hemp seed to make those products, said Hauge, who besides producing lentils, malting barley and durum on his farm this year, is also an accountant.
Hauge has thought long and hard over the years about products that could be made from industrial hemp.
"One of the best products we could make here would be a type of concrete made out of industrial hemp. It is really hard, but tolerates shrinkage and doesn't crack as easily as real concrete," he said, adding a type of insulation can also be made from industrial hemp that can be used both inside and outside of buildings.
"You just spray it on and it gets thick, and tolerates either cold or hot enviroments," he said.
Hauge is excited about the very real possibility of seeing industrial hemp growing on North Dakota farms. He said he watched the crop being planted at Langdon last spring and attended their field days.
"Hemp grows 5 inches every two days, but it has to be controlled and cut according to what you plant to use it for, whether it be for seed, oil, or fiber," he explained.
But he still has a few questions for the Department of Agriculture before his application is complete.
When he read through the application process, he was surprised to see the amount of security that must be taken for any producer to grow the industrial hemp on his/her farm.
"The are still some things about having to have fencing and security that I need to find out about," Hauge said.
One provision in the application process (from DEA requirements) says the grower needs to block private access roads to the growing area with gates or barricades and install reasonable security measures to prevent theft, e.g. motion sensor lighting, fencing, game cameras, etc, and other measures.
Seifert-Spilde said another bill currently in Congress could eliminate those obstructions for farmers.
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015, which the U.S. Congress is now considering and has bipartisan support, would lift all federal restrictions on growing hemp and remove its classification as a controlled substance.
Hauge said he still plans to apply.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: North Dakota Producer Applying For NDDA's Pilot Industrial Hemp Program
Author: Sue Roesler
Photo Credit: Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
Website: Farm And Ranch Guide
