Seeking out Hemp Experts for a More Productive Future

By Kathy Garton
Source: marijuanatimes.org

The Ukraine takes their commercial hemp technology very seriously. Since its inception in 1931, the Hemp Breeding Department at the Institute of Bast Crops in Glukhov, Ukraine has been one of the world’s largest centers for developing new hemp varieties, focusing on improving fiber quality, per-hectare yields, and low-THC content. Today, The Institute of Bast Crops has the largest hemp research center in the world and is a great place to learn about the latest technical advances in commercial hemp varieties.

France took the lead in worldwide hemp production after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, The Institute of Bast Crops continued to investigate breeding, agronomy, mechanization, processing and economy of fiber hemp. Primary processing of hemp is one of the most recent subjects.

As the United States moves closer to reestablishing hemp crops, working closely with the experts seems a no-brainer. The Institute of Bast Crops has 5 departments that could help to mold America into a leader in farming, manufacturing, trade and green energy. These departments include:

1. The Department of Selection and Genetics.
2. The Department of Agricultural Technology
3. The Department of Mechanization and Harvesting.
4. The Department of Technology and Quality Standards.
5. The Department of Large Scale Processing

In addition to receiving the right education and training, government and corporate entities could gain experience from working with soil that is compatible with that of the North American midwest. Directions of activity found at the Institute include:

1. Breeding of fiber flax and hemp
2. Production of original seeds of the Institute’s varietie
3. Technology of growing bast crops
4. Mechanization of harvesting fiber flax and hemp
5. Primary processing of flax and raw hemp materials
6. Standardization of the products made from bast crops
7. Economy of the vast branches of flax and hemp
8. Primary and elite seed-growing of many grain crops and grasses
9. Trials of manufacturing with machinery and processing equipment

Seeking a green planet that is able to provide answers to the economy, ecology and world relations is within our grasp. All that is now necessary is for someone to step up to the plate and make it happen. With a renewable hemp program in place, we could reverse the errors that have been made in the past and create a better, more sustainable planet for the future.