Hemp harvest

By Bette McFarren
Source: lajuntatribunedemocrat.com

On 30 acres of land just south of Swink, David Williams and Billy Seamons are harvesting hemp, first the seeds and later the stalks, to be used in a variety of ways.



Dave Williams has 30 acres in hemp. Not a small man, he is posing in one of the fields just before harvest.

"I have 30 acres in hemp. We are all clear with the state inspection, which means we can sell our seeds," said David Williams, a farmer just south of Swink. Hemp has to have less than .3 percent of THC (the intoxicating element in marijuana) to be legal in Colorado. Hemp cultivation is now legal in Colorado, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia, for the purposes of academic research and marketing. "We would have had to plow it under if it didn't pass," said Williams. Williams' partner in the venture is Billy Seamons, and he is also good friends with the folks at Whole Hemp in La Junta, although their cultivation methods differ.

Whole Hemp's seeds are being used to extract the medicinal oil which is high in cannabidiol, an ingredient in many drugs used to treat such conditions as epilepsy, multiple scleroses and skin cancer (experimentally).

Leading the movement to legalize hemp cultivation is Ryan Loflin of Springfield, son of Sheila LeRoy of La Junta. "He has been planting hemp for three years now," said LeRoy. Loflin has attracted the attention of national media for his experimental work. He believes hemp could be the financial boon to take southeastern Colorado out of its economic slump.

"Hemp is the new superfood," said Hal Holder, retired farmer and wholesaler, who is helping Williams and Seamons with the farming operation. "Hemp seed is 28 percent protein. It is higher in omega oils than fish." The Williams/Seamons crop now being harvested will be dried and separated in Rocky Ford with equipment manufactured by Oliver. This seed is destined primarily for planting.

Hemp seed is still expensive because its transport among the states is difficult due to federal regulations. Dwayne Sims, who did the testing on these fields for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, likes this operation because it is real farming, said Williams.

The seed being harvested in the Swink fields now is just the first crop. Inside the stalks, now drying in the fields, is a white substance called hurd. It will be chopped and marketed to high-end automobile manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes Benz for use in dashboards. "They are working on an all-hemp car," said Williams. It is mixed with an adhesive and becomes an extremely hard and durable substance after it has been molded into the desired shapes.

Hurd is also used to plug fracking wells that are producing too much oil and running over. "They like to use it," said Williams, "because it is a natural substance which will not harm the soil around it." It expands naturally to form the plug. Hemp fibers are used to make rope which is durable, flexible and resistant to salt water damage. Hemp may also be used to manufacture durable cloth, building materials of all sorts and paper.

 

Hemp harvester at work. The tops of the plants are taken for seed in the first harvest. The fibrous stalks will be left in the field to dry for the second harvest.



Dave Williams shows product (chopped up pith of hemp) packaged as sold.