Photo via Facebook / Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association
Phillip Scott is president and founder of the Wisconsin Hemp Farmers & Manufacturers Association. He grew three acres of hemp in southeast Wisconsin this season for his own company, Badger Hemp Corridor. “This year, the crops did well,” he says, crediting a drier mid-late summer than previous seasons.
He diversified with strains of cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG). He also planted a half-acre of grain hemp. He found pests the biggest challenge this season. “Hemp was hit by the hemp borer and the Eurasian hemp borer, a worm-type insect that goes through bottom of the stalk of the plant and burrows all the way to the top,” he explains. “It lays eggs near the flower, and when those eggs hatch, they eat the flower.” To destroy the hemp borer without chemicals, Scott says one has to get creative such as using traps to rid them from plants. “It could be the terpenes that attracts them, so we might have to grow plants with certain terpenes to defeat that pest issue.”
Sam Liegel of Driftless Extracts, a hemp producer and processor in Lone Rock, Wis., says his network of hemp growers also had a fairly successful season. “We processed 100 acres of feminized hemp production into stable dry biomass with our growing partners.” Driftless consulted on acreage of several feminized strains such as Tesoro sweet wife, OCBD Hawaiian haze and Tesoro early bird, and diecious strains for grain and fiber production. Like Scott, Liegel pointed out the Eurasian hemp borer problem, but he observed it was significantly reduced compared to the 2019 crop. “Most growers were proactive and had preventative measures in place to combat this devastating insect,” he says.
Organic Crops, Quality Over Quantity
Liegel sees a future in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic extracts and refined oils. “Wholesale and white-label brand changeover from ‘organically grown’ labeling to ‘USDA certified organic’ continues, and Driftless Extracts intends to fill as much of that supply chain as possible.”
He adds that USDA certified organic hemp fiber for animal bedding is currently a growing market, as is USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and protein as ingredients for cosmetics and food ingredients. Driftless Extracts plan to drive sales of their in-house CBD brand, ‘Workman's Relief’ in 2021 in both the direct-to-retail and distribution models.
Liegel says that nationally, acreage reports showed a decrease in overall production; one-third of the acres were planted in 2020 compared to 2019 reported production. “I would expect further reduction in acreage overall, both nationally and within the state,” he says. “Over-supply continues in the raw-materials portion of the industry. Current raw biomass prices in non-USDA certified organic production form is well below budgeted cost of production. USDA certified organic products, in all forms, continues to demand a premium.”
Scott adds that as people become more educated about the crop, they realize they don’t need to grow thousands of acres to be successful in this industry and instead are focusing on quality over quantity, and growing hemp with organic methods on less than 10 acres.
Advancing Hemp
Since its inception, Wisconsin Hemp Farmers & Manufacturers Association has operated as a not-for-profit focusing on education and reform. Scott says they’ve recently been granted 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service. This will allow them to pursue grants available for hemp research and production, and state grants with agencies such as the Department of Workforce Development.
“People need to be put back to work, and agriculture is a great place to work,” Scott says. His vision is to use grant money to grow the industry and create scholarships for individuals to learn about the crop and grow Wisconsin’s hemp economy.
Revenue generated by hemp in Wisconsin is difficult to track, since it’s not required to be reported to a single entity at this time. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection does not collect revenue information from hemp producers, since it’s not required. Organizations such as Scott’s, or Wisconsin Hemp Alliance, does not collect this data.
