Hemp and NZ Farmers ??

Tony · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:41 am

Had a very conservative Farmer I know send me this the other day it was in an email sent to him for comment.
Thinking I know more than I do have asked me if its got any factual base.and if any good data is available...I don't even know the source..

But I was able to let them know it could not be factual.. If it was even half true any Green Political party and any others who had even a glimmer of concern about environmental and fiscal matters would be making it compulsory .
So pure logic indicates it just cannot be factual..

That was a Captain Cooker with Air NZ markings that just flew over.

tony

INFORMATION FOR FARMERS:

* Hemp produces between three and five tons per acre.
* A total yield of 3.5 tons/acre with a 25% fibre content yields 1750 lbs of fibre and tow.
* Between 25 - 50% of this (440 - 875 lbs) can actually be spun into a textile-grade yarn.
* A cloth spun of number-10 hemp yarn, similar to a jeans denim, weighs about 400g/m2.
* One acre yields between 500 and 1000 square meters of this fabric.
* One million pairs of jeans would require only 2000 - 4000 acres.

* A typical seed crop yields 20 to 30 bushels per acre, or about 900 to 1300 lbs per acre.
* Wholesale prices for hemp seed in the USA vary between 20c - 90c per pound. (NZ 30c - $1.40)
* Farmers would therefore gross between US$375 - $1200 (NZ$575 - $1850) per acre.
* Pressing seeds for oil usually yields 25% oil by weight, therefore 14 - 21 gallons per acre.
* Hemp seed oil currently sells for between US$50 - $100 per gallon (NZ$77 - 153).
* Gross Income per acre would therefore be between US$700 -$2100 (NZ$1076 - 3230).
(source: Ed Rosenthal, 1995)

New Zealand farmers can expect a net income of at least $800 per acre per year. (NZ Hemp Industries Association). In comparison, New Zealand farmers are now earning $300-350/acre for sheep, $250/acre for cattle, and $330/acre for wheat (NZ Federated Farmers).

daddyO · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:33 pm

well I wouldn't have a clue how the hemp yeild and return per acre figures stack up.

But the figures regarding return per acre regarding sheep and cattle must be wrong

why are all the farmers turning away from sheep and going to dairy ???????????? . Because the cows make them much more money at the moment .

Another thing which is not factored into the figures is the high complience and testing costs which hemp growers are burdened with ............

Finally I firmly believe that a hemp industry in NZ would sriously undermine and damage the profitability of the pine industry.

There are a lot of pension funds and investments tied up in the protected pine industry ( hemp is presently red taped out of competing ), if it were a level playing field and hemp was freely grown then the pine industry would be in a bit of trouble.

Because we have such a huge amount of pine grown in this country ( to me they are pine forest deserts, stuff all else grows in them) the govt will not be prepeared to let hemp be a threat to this industry.

.................. just like they edited out the chapter in the just released enviroment report which showed how much dairying and intensive agriculture is stuffing up parts of the country ................

expect them to keep the obstacles to growing hemp well and truelly in place ......

Tony · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:07 pm

It could well be a few years old and the Dairy aspect has had considerable gain in payouts.

But with the oil price rise it could mean the biofuel aspect could well be an addition to the hemp as could the oil derived plastics and the like .

The Greens have just made the 2008 opening speech in parliament.. I waited, but the H word never past her lips...

and the C word , I was encouraged to hear the efforts the Greens intend to make.Just what they intend to do to ensure medical users of cannabis are not sent to jail to die .They even have to confront the legal or political system rather than the medical to minimize suffering , an untenable situation to us and the Greens both.....

Like the greatest majority of pro medical cannabis supporters , the Greens too will hide, not rock the boat ,not speak out, ..and avoid the subject ... They do to suffer intimidation and are scared.. ..

its good to know we are not alone..

tony

MrNiceGuyNZ · Forum Moderator Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 2912

I remember seeing an article in the ODT a few years back talking about a hemp farmer down south who felt unsupported by govt in helping to promote follow on businesses so he could sell his crop, don't know if that situation has changed, we don't hear anything from hemp farmers here.
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Thread_Killer · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:23 pm

A few years ago this was the mentality of some politicians, which might help explain one of the hurdles hemp growers faced.

On the one hand, we hear the Greens say, in very shrill tones, that they want zero tolerance regarding genetic modification (GM), although there have not been any reports anywhere in the world of adverse effects from GM food. On the other hand, today we hear that Nandor Tanczos and his colleagues are incredibly upset with the Customs Service, which has instituted a zero tolerance policy in terms of the importation of hemp products. TetraHydroCannabinols undoubtedly have been proved to be harmful. The Greens want zero tolerance for something that has been proved to do no harm, but they want laxity for something that is harmful. ~ Dr Paul Hutchison, National MP

Actually doc, hemp contains microscopic levels of THC (which is next to harmless anyway) oh... and there are many scientifically acknowledged risks associated with GM foods.

Hopefully things have become a little more enlightened. Here's an original trial grower who now offers the following services..

NorthlandAndy · Heavy User Joined: Oct 04, 2007 Posts: 117 Location: NZ

If the source of that info was Ed Rosenthal personally I'd be inclined to believe it. He's been a bit of a grow guru for years up in the Netherlands, I had a couple of really good books by him, he knows his stuff and I would doubt he would publish figures without having experimented first.That is of course if he was the source!

Tony · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:28 pm

Who was the senior rural labour MP who said Hemp was off the agenda till AFTER the election , as too many people they relied on for support were not keen on it..

Did he mean the voters???? Why should the voters be concerned about Hemp production?? If the numbers do stack up and yes this and other well documented calculations are Eds .. I am sure the voter would be excited .. The farmers .. the ones I know are waiting to hear more but of course don't ..

It can only be the same antagonists who want to suppress medical cannabis who have a vested interest in ensuring hemp production does not get an easy path..

Maybe the hemp and medpot activists should join forces , same foe..

tony

HarryAnslinger · Enthusiast Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 93 Location: NZ

paula · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 5:00 pm

I believe thats exactly what the hemp farmers said they said, and so don't really want to be associated with us

Tony · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:04 pm

Maybe the Hemp people have found, even by not associating with the CLR or medpot lobby they are still being frustrated..

They face the same lobbyist's we do , those who have the ear of ,a few too many in parliament and the relevant Govt departments.

Its unfortunate that the early interest in hemp and the expectations have been lost because of inactivity.. The perception is because it has all become a non issue the original hype was bullshit..

Just like medpot , the Greens have dropped the ball regards HEMP.. Frankly shat on them from and even greater hight than they did the medpot people.

I approached the hemp lobby a couple of years ago suggesting a meeting of minds with the medpot people.. Thought they might want to reconsider .

There is actually one rather surprising party doing a bit of research into HEMP .

If anyone has some good references to papers and articles on Hemp, NZ relevant.

That gives sound feasibility studies ...the most readable and convincing cost benefit evaluations as well as those that cover the environmental aspects..

It seems the hemp lobby site has little information or so I am told..

tony

solarpowered_candle · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:43 pm

I dont know if its hocus pocus so much as demand. There just are not enough folks out there wanting hemp clothes or oil. I find it rather bitter myself and chose other oil , however if there were more availability of clothing down where i reside i would maybe wear some hemp clothes if i could afford them.
Regarding there relationship with med users there isnt one. I have written to a few growers and never heard a word back . Pretty much like the greens who never once replied to any med letters i wrote to them. Maybe its snobbery or such or a tinge of arrogance.

Tony · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:18 pm

steveoh · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:39 pm

Hey Tony read this:

www.jackherer.com/popmech.html

Steven
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Nandor · Newbie Joined: Nov 18, 2005 Posts: 16 Location: NZ

kia ora

Not sure about the figures - I think we need to get some accurate costings / returns etc based on NZ figures to make a convincing case.

Basically on the legislation front, the current hemp growing regulations are the result of a private members bill of mine that (like the Clean Slate Act) everybody thought was reasonable idea, they just didn't want a Green getting the credit. So the Govt voted my bill down, but introduced regulations to allow hemp growing (with some restrictions).

I have tried to make contact with the hemp industry, visited sites and met with growers etc but basically the industry has been uninterested in working with me to advance hemp growing.

It seems to me that working strategically - even if only behind the scenes - with an MP known to be supportive is a no brainer, but much of the industry (with notable exceptions such as Prevera) seem more interested in patch protection than expanding the cake.

As for making hemp growing compulsory - yeah right. What probably is needed is investment in processing technology, but that's not actually the government's job. If the industry worked together it could probably put up a good business case, but as I said it seems unfortunately distant at this stage.

There has been some interesting research into hemp fibre composites, funded by FoRST, but have yet to see it being commercialised.

Nandor

Tony · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:05 am

In my talks with those in the Hemp industry I got the distinct impression they felt if the put as much separation between them and us the less chance they would fall foul of the law makers and actually be encouraged.

FOOLs.. They seem to forget there is huge commercial interest in ensuring that it does not happen..

Early on the anti lobbiests knew how fragile any hemp industry would be in it its informative stages . It was going to be easy to frustrated and divide those in the start up industry . Most of them are idealists of some sort , the easiest to stuff up..The more commercial types sat back , saw the lack of any progress so backed off..

Any potential investment in the industry was near shut down , and we will keep buying inferior man made fibre .Buying oil and watch them get away with it..

tony


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