Hemp growers experimenting, seeing what works best

By Brian Brus
Source: journalrecord.com\

OKLAHOMA CITY – Just one month into growing Oklahoma’s first legal hemp crop, farmer Tina Walker is looking at the data.

“We’ve already learned a lot from our first planting,” said Walker, fourth-generation agriculture producer and president of Botanac LLC. “But to really know what we’re looking at, what worked and what didn’t, that probably won’t be until November.”

Botanac is one of just five licensees approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to raise hemp. In April, House Bill 2913 created the Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Agricultural Pilot Program under the management of the Department of Agriculture. Approved universities or other parties contracting with universities are allowed to cultivate certified hemp seed for research and development.

Officials earlier reported that 16 licenses had been approved from the first round of applicants, but several of the names on the paper are repeated. Walker is responsible for 11 of them, partnered with Redlands Community College. Eco Hemp LLC has two. Redlands holds one of the licenses on its own – a separate academic partner is not necessary. Flowers Farms and Herb’s Herbs LLC each have one license.

Walker said each separate plot of land requires its own license. So her experiment involves 11 other farmers scattered around the state, raising hemp on plots ranging from 1 acre to about 50.

Herb Suehring of Herb’s Herbs in Guthrie is experimenting on a far smaller scale than Walker. Before getting his hands on hemp seed, Suehring was commercially growing ornamentals such as mums and pansies. His hemp operation is being run on about half an acre in greenhouse conditions because certification approval came too late in the growing season. Suehring is partnered with Langston University.

“It’s just too early in development of this crop to say,” he said. “We’re focused on fertility, fertilizer, schedules and light levels right now. And we’re interested in producing seed oil for CBD and the stalks for fiber, wherever the money is.”

Like Suehring, Walker said she’s got her eye on the potential of CBD, or cannabidiol, a chemical that could provide medical benefits for treating inflammation, seizures and anxiety. Hemp also seems to have the greatest potential value in its seed and fiber. She said farmers will change their approaches in the field depending on the targeted end product. Growing for fiber and grain requires row planting; for oil production, tighter clustering like tobacco or watermelon is appropriate.

“We’re even looking at no-till approaches, 20 acres total,” said Walker, who grew up in rural Hennessey. “I’m hoping to find out whether it’s viable for the state of Oklahoma, whether our farmers can grow it as a rotation crop or however they see fit within their business model.”

Walker said she has also spoken with her farming partners about what equipment they already have on hand so that they can minimize investments at the testing stage.

“We’re going to learn how to crawl first before we walk,” she said. “And then we’ll start running.”