Our Top 10 Tips for Succeeding in the Hemp Industry
What are our best tips for succeeding in the hemp industry? After more than 40 years in horticulture and several years in industrial hemp, here’s what we recommend.
Find reliable vendors
Perhaps one of the best ways to succeed in the hemp industry, or any industry for that matter, is to work with reliable vendors. You want to make sure you really know the company you are working with, their process, and if they will deliver on their promises. Vet all of your vendors — from your clone supplier to the processor you are going to use to the buyer you have lined up. View our tips on finding a reliable clone provider here.
Test your soil
Testing your soil will give you detailed insight into your fields prior to planting. Without testing, you’ll be proceeding blindly and may end up with low-quality plants, low CBD content, or contaminated crops. All these problems can be addressed before planting by simply testing and preparing the soil. To see more on soil testing, view our article here.
Have a buyer lined up
Having a buyer means you know where your product is going when it’s finished growing. If you don’t have a buyer lined up, how will you get your harvested hemp off your hands?
There are a few reasons why having a plan for this step is important. First, you grow crops to make money. Second, having a buyer is an essential part of any business plan, And, third, if you don’t have a buyer, you can’t be succeeding in the hemp industry, no matter how good your crops turn out! See more on having a buyer lined up here.
Plant at the right time
We recommend planting your field when the sunlight during the day reaches 14 hours of length. For our area, this is about mid-June. Planting at that time gives your crop plenty of time to grow tall and wide enough to support the flowers it will produce. If you plant late, your plants could break or produce less flower.
Strategically plant your field
Along with planting your crop at the right time, strategically planting your field can make you more efficient throughout the season. Plant your genetics with the longest field time in the middle of the field and your genetics with the shortest field time on the outside of the field. To see more about our recommendations for this process, read our blog here.
IPM
The best way to guard against pests is to have an integrated pest management system in place before you start your crops. If you release beneficial bugs at the beginning of your grow, your chances of seeing pest damage are reduced. But once pest problems begin, they are difficult to get rid of. And pests are definitely a detriment to succeeding in the hemp industry.
Test crop weekly
Testing your crop weekly is the only guaranteed way to know when your hemp is ready to harvest. It’s worth the money you will spend in testing to make sure you really know how much THC your hemp is producing. Here’s a podcast on testing your hemp!
Don’t go all-in (relying solely on hemp sales)
When the industry hit its peak, we saw many growers clear out their greenhouses and fields to fill them with hemp. As the demand in the industry has decreased, businesses that went all-in like this are hurting. If you have a business model that works, stick with it. Add hemp as an addition to your product line. That way, you can still expect a stable paycheck.
Follow the laws
Hemp is so highly restricted. You’ll experience that as you apply for your license. With all of the red tape, make sure you are following the laws. You want to be sure you are ordering the genetics that work well in your area and test to ensure your crops are not going hot.
Do your research
Look into your vendors, dive deep into information on the genetics you’re choosing, and make sure you know what you are getting into before you make a significant investment into hemp. A great way to find out all of this information is to get involved in the hemp community on Facebook or other social media platforms. Fellow farmers are ready and willing to share their knowledge.
