Source: lamarledger.com
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Ryan Loflin proudly examines his harvested hemp plants Sun. evening Oct. 6.Loflin and around 40 volunteers from across the U.S. completed the first commercial hemp harvest in the United States in decades over the weekend. (Lance Maggart)
What Ryan Loflin and a small group of volunteers did last weekend on the Loflin farm just east of Springfield was illegal this time last year. Ryan is the owner and operator of Rocky Mountain Hemp, Inc. On Sat. Oct. 5 and Sun. Oct. 6 he and a group of around 40 volunteers from throughout the nation converged on the Loflin farms to harvest the very first commercial hemp crop in the United States in decade.
Volunteers drove from as far away as central Idaho and Los Angeles, some traveling 21 hours each way, to volunteer their time hand harvesting the previously illicit crop.
Hemp is a form of cannabis. It is very closely related to marijuana and was outlawed along with psychoactive marijuana. Hemp however is not psychoactive and cannot be used as a narcotic. Hemp is used for a large number of consumer, commercial and industrial products from oil, fuel, paper and rope to food and fiber for clothing.
Back in June Loflin planted 70 acres of hemp with 10 of those acres being in dryland. He just harvested his crop this weekend and he was absolutely ecstatic about the results. Loflin said his entire crop is already sold; to include every portion of his hemp plants. He has even sold the weed's root balls. Loflin said he plans to triple the size of his planted acres next year.
Loflin had nothing but praise for his unique crop. He said he uses significantly less water for the hemp plants, requiring as little as eight inches of water for the growing season but preferring 10 to 14 inches. He said he uses far less fertilizer on the hemp than his other crops and used no insecticides.
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