Recently, Indiana was in the news when a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state to ban smokable hemp. This week, a hemp expert at Purdue University Extension talked to the media and gave highlights of the production season so far. We captured the most salient issues.
Planting Challenges
The heavy rains in May and June made it hard for most farmers to get their crops in the ground, and many reported to the state authorities that they were forced to plant close to the end of July.
The northern areas of the state were particularly affected by these above-normal rains, and then drought conditions hit these same areas in July. Some farmers had to irrigate their hemp plants to save them from dying.
Insect and Disease Pressure
Marguerite Bolt, the Purdue Extension official, reveals that the increased levels of humidity in the middle of August came with cases of southern blight, leaf spot, gray mold and white mold.
Cannabis aphid populations also spiked in August and many farmers are still reporting that these pests are increasing on their farms.
Eurasian hemp borers were also noticed by some farmers, but none has yet reported that these pests have had an adverse effect on their yields.
Biocontrols and Pesticides
At the moment, Indiana hemp farmers aren’t expected to have applied any biocontrols and pesticides since the state hasn’t approved any such products for use on industrial hemp.
However, some farmers who grow hemp in greenhouses reported to state agriculture authorities that they released predatory mites or parasitic wasps to control some pests, especially spider mites and cannabis aphids.
Varieties Grown
Most farmers growing hemp for CBD extraction used photo-period varieties while a few got autoflowering hemp varieties. Photoperiod varieties are the most common and they start flowering when daylight hours become fewer with the onset of fall. Autoflowering varieties start flowering once they get to a certain age regardless of the length of the day.
Most farmers got their seed from out of state. For example, those growing hemp for grain sourced their seed from Canada while those growing hemp for CBD extraction obtained clones and seed from Colorado, Oregon and other states.
Seed Germination
The germination rate varied widely from one farmer to another. The general trend is within the 50-90 percent range. The causes for that variation are as many as there are farmers. For example, some weren’t knowledgeable enough while others used seed of questionable quality.
Expected Harvest Dates
Farmers who grew hemp for fiber were expected to harvest all their plants in August, and the vast majority have done so.
Those growing for grain were expected to start harvesting their plants this month and this will go on into next month (October).
Harvesting hemp for CBD is nearly complete for those who grew autoflowers while those who grew photoperiod varieties have now started while many will harvest next month. The key issue will be how late each farmer planted due to the heavy rains at the start of the season.
Experts say that the valuable insights provided by Purdue University Extension about the growing process/season complement the insights that hemp companies, such as HTC Extraction Systems (TSX.V: HTC) and Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) give to growers who reach out for advice.
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