As the acreage devoted to growing industrial hemp increases rapidly, conflicts are beginning to simmer between the farmers of this crop. One potential source of conflicts throughout the U.S. has already reared its head in Oregon where one company is suing neighboring farmers over cross-pollination issues.
The Jack Hempicine Seed Company alleges in its lawsuit that neighboring hemp farmers have “negligently” allowed pollen from their hemp farms to drift and pollinate the flowers of the seed company’s hemp crop.
Why would pollination be a concern to hemp farmers?
The reason for which someone is growing industrial hemp often determines what sex of plants are desirable. For example, CBD is currently on high demand and most farmers are growing hemp with the CBD market in mind.
CBD is mainly extracted from the buds harvested from female plants. The CBD content of those buds can go down considerably if the flowers are fertilized by pollen from male hemp plants. This explains why farmers go to great lengths to source feminized seeds and also take the extra step of patrolling their fields in order to identify and uproot any male plant present.
It has been even reported that one male plant left in a field can potentially pollinate female plants within a seven-mile radius!
It is therefore understandable when a farmer who does their part in keeping his or her hemp field free from male plants discovers that pollen from a nearby field is about to ruin their crop simply because the other farmer wasn’t as diligent as required in keeping males out of their hemp farm.
Seed vendors aren’t innocent either in this brewing conflict between farmers. The allure of making a quick buck has led many to claim that the seeds they sell are feminized whereas not. Innocent farmers therefore let their guard down, only to be disappointed when male plants start popping up all over their fields when flowering begins.
To make matters worse, not many farmers have any experience in growing hemp, so they are learning as they go along. This means that more mistakes are likely to be made, especially regarding the removal of male plants from farms.
A number of ideas have been floated regarding the way in which issues of cross-pollination can be handled in Oregon where at least 60,000 acres have been allocated to hemp production this year.
The first solution suggested is that farmers should only buy hemp seeds that have been certified as feminized by the Oregon State University. This will reduce the number of male plants that show up in fields to a bare minimum.
Another solution is to create buffer zones between hemp farms so that any floating pollen doesn’t reach another farm and pollinate the plants there. This option is already being championed by a nonprofit called the Oregon Cannabis Pinning Association. The organization plans to create a pinning map which can guide in the formation of isolation zones between hemp farms.
Another possible solution is to hire an experienced entity to scout the hemp fields in order to root out any male plants there. One company, Williamette Valley Assured, is already marketing its inspection services to farmers who need expert help in removing male flowers from their hemp fields.
Industry watchers are convinced that conversations about the risk of cross-pollination are already taking place within companies like HTC Extraction Systems (TSX.V: HTC) and Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP). It would be enlightening to know what they think about the solutions floated in Oregon.
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