How to Grow Hemp for CBD in Wisconsin – Step 5: Harvest

Posted on by Samuel Higginbotham

Timing is without a doubt the most crucial factor when harvesting your hemp crop. Growers must let the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection know when they plan to harvest in advance. The optimal time to harvest is when your plants test high in CBD, yet still under the 0.3% THC threshold allowed by the state. Predicting when this optimal cannabinoid content will take place is a tough task. The following tips can help give you an understanding of calculating the proper date.

https://ktvl.com/news/local/harvest-time-for-hemp-farmers

Although many farmers simply harvest after a set amount of days since first sprout, the top CBD farmers will track their grow with spreadsheets developed through testing plants along the growth phase. Getting your plants tested on occasion throughout the growing season may take time and energy, but it’s sure worth the reward. The more data you collect on your crop’s CBD and THC content, the easier it will be to predict this optimal date. With some basic algebra, growers can use this data to find the slope, and apply this slope to the calendar. Once the optimal date is determined, contacting the DATCP one month in advance will give them enough notice to have your fields tested prior to this date. It’s a safe bet to pull the harvest date back a week or so once you’ve calculated it, just in case the data is off.  If plants do run “hot”, or over the 0.3% THC limit, the state will force the whole field to be destroyed.

https://hempindustrydaily.com/hemp-thc-testing-farm-bill-confusion/

Beyond the harvest date, growers should be prepared for harvest with enough labor and equipment for the size of their fields. If your grow is on the smaller side (10 acres or less), hand cutting the plants at the root with machetes or loppers is your best bet. For large scale operations, some farmers use modified harvesters for crops such as corn to cut the plants off halfway up the stalk. This leaves the bottom half to decompose into the soil and replenishes many of the nutrients used during the grow. I hope this shed some light on the hemp harvesting process, stay on the lookout for the following step in this blog series; Drying.

How to Grow Hemp for CBD in Wisconsin – Step 4: Growing

Posted on by Samuel Higginbotham

Once your hemp plants are in the ground and begin to take root, it’s mostly a waiting game until harvest approaches. For crops that were planted with regular seed, identifying and removing male plants is absolutely key for a high-quality harvest. Growers who fail to do so will see an over 40% reduction in cannabinoids (CBD), and the pollinated plants will convert their energy from growing larger and more potent towards producing seeds. Pollinated crops will result in an over 25% loss in biomass, which is all the more reason to plant using feminized genetics.

  • Pollinated female hemp plant
  • Non-pollinated female hemp plant

As stated in earlier posts throughout this series, farmers looking to stay proactive during this time should investigate for any wildlife that may be harming their crop. Zero insecticides, fungicides or pesticides can be used since the chemicals will be converted into the plant’s oil profile and make the flower completely worthless. Insects can be an issue in certain areas, although the majority of Wisconsin growers have seen little threat from these pests so far.

If a drought occurs and there’s no irrigation in place, you should work out some sort of system to keep your plants watered. Stressed plants are proven to yield significantly less than those that aren’t stressed, so the overall goal during the growing phase is to provide as least a stressful environment as realistically possible. Aside from keeping your crop watered, I’d highly suggest investing in weeding equipment such as weed whackers, machetes, clippers, etc. These will be vital to keeping assuring the soil’s nutrients are going strictly to your plants. One common point of feedback from Wisconsin farmers who grew hemp in these past couple years is that it was much more labor than they had anticipated, so be fully prepared to work and/or have extra hands at your disposal.

https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/life-cycle-cannabis-seed-harvest/

How to Grow Hemp for CBD in Wisconsin – Step 2: Genetics

Posted on by Samuel Higginbotham

After assuring that your soil is prepared to grow hemp for CBD, the next step is to find the proper genetics to plant. This is arguably the most influential factor towards the overall health and quality of your plants. Good genetics can produce below low-quality flower if grown with carelessness, but below-average genetics are incapable of growing the top-shelf buds we’re all aiming for. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection has a list of approved seeds for farmers to choose from.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/10a4e5dfc8e7cf921016b9c5ba9f5e5603b3a822/c=5-0-2395-1350/local/-/media/2017/12/12/WisPub/WisconsinStateFarmer/636487184916282237-WSF-1215-Hemp-1.jpg?width=3200&height=1680&fit=crop

There are multiple options to consider when choosing genetics, such as unfeminine seed, feminized seed, or clones. While unfeminine seed is the cheapest option, be aware that male plants will sprout and potentially seed out the female plant’s flower, drastically reducing the quality. The following option is to plant strictly feminized seed. Although this is option is nearly twice as expensive as unfeminized seed, it reassures that little to no male plants will be present within the crop. The third and final option is to find a nearby farmer in your area who is selling clones. Clones are a reliable way to find identical genetics that thrive in your area, all the while still maintaining a strictly feminized crop. Growing with clones nearly guarantees a high-quality harvest, but it’s by far the priciest choice with each acre of clones costing around $8,000 plus labor.

https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/05/09/looking-forward-and-backward-at-wisconsins-hemp.html

When deciding which genetics option to move forward with, you should always investigate who else is planning to grow hemp in your local area and which genetics they’re using. In the case that you were to invest thousands of extra dollars for a feminized option, there’s always a risk that your plants will still be pollinated by males from a different crop in the area via winds or bees. This step in the growing process is key for a quality harvest, which goes to show that planning months before and doing your research is absolutely vital when growing hemp for CBD.

How to Grow Hemp for CBD in Wisconsin – Step 1: Soil

Posted on by Samuel Higginbotham

Wisconsin saw a massive breakthrough in 2017 when the federal government passed the 2018 Farm Bill, allowing farmers throughout the country to legally grow and process industrial hemp. While this was a great step forward, relatively inexperienced Wisconsin farmers were faced with the difficult task of learning how to properly grow the crop. This post will be the first of a series in which I’ll try my best to explain the most efficient process of growing hemp in Wisconsin.

https://drydenwire.com/news/wisconsin-senate-appoves-industrial-hemp-legislation/

First and foremost, farmers must apply for a license to grow through Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). More information on licensing can be found through this link. As far as the actual growing, the first step towards farming industrial hemp is to check for adequate soil.

https://khqa.com/news/state/industrial-hemp-applications-now-available-on-idoa-website

There’s a few requirements the soil should meet if you’re looking to take a hemp crop from average to high quality plants. Hemp thrives in loamy soil that is drained well. The ideal acidity (pH) of the soil is somewhere between 7 and 7.5. Hemp is vulnerable to damage via soil compaction during its first stages of growth, so the less clay in the soil the better.

As for nutrients, hemp responds well to the typical optimal levels of nitrogen, phosphate, phosphorus, and potassium. If your soil is lacking any of these nutrients, it’s suggested to add the lacking element accordingly. One of the biggest struggles hemp farmers deal with is the inability to use chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Since the plant’s cannabidiol (CBD) will be extracted into oil after harvest, hemp must remain fully organic throughout the growing process. It’s encouraged to use organic fertilizers such as cow or chicken manure to fully prepare the soil for the grow. I hope this post educated those who are interested in adding to Wisconsin’s emerging hemp market, feel free to comment with any questions and be on the lookout for the next step’s post in the near future!