 | Hemp in NZ: Farmer gets dopey calls over hemp crop |
 NZPA (Wire), 09 January 2002
The grower of Manawatu's first hemp crop continues to get
phone calls from people associating the plant with
marijuana. But Bulls farmer Hew Dalrymple said the
"strange" phone calls would not put him off planting
another crop next year.
The first industrial hemp crop to be grown in Manawatu will be
harvested at the end of February, with the seed then pressed
for oil.
When it became public knowledge in July last year that Mr
Dalrymple would plant the 4ha hemp crop - under tight security
and at a secret location - he got a few funny comments and
unusual phone calls.
"Luckily my wife answered the phone most of the time and I
made sure I didn't ring them back," he joked.
It was inevitable that some people might confuse the industrial
hemp crop with the illegal marijuana plant, but apart from the
phone calls, Mr Dalrymple has had no other problems.
The industrial hemp cannot be made into drugs because levels of
the chemical delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are too low.
As well as hemp oil, the fibre is used for clothing and also as a
substitute for fibreglass.
Mr Dalrymple said hemp had been the easiest crop he had grown
as it did not require maintenance or chemicals. The tallest plants
were around 1.5m tall and would continue to grow before
harvest.
"We just prepared the land, drilled the seed and let it go. It's a
good organic crop."
A problem with the quality of the seed meant there would not be
a big yield, but the problem had since been identified.
"The seed had a lack of vigour, which resulted in a patchy crop,
with some areas thriving and others not," he said.
"I don't want to be known as a one-crop wonder."
It is possible to harvest one tonne of seed per hectare, from
which about 200 litres of oil can be pressed.
A special press has been imported from Europe to press the
seeds. The seed shells, which are high in protein, can be used
for stock-feed and cooking.
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