Cannabis growing offers pot of gold for farmers

[Oz]

NSW farmers could be growing cannabis by spring with the approval of the Iemma Government - but this marijuana can't be smoked to get high.

 

It will be a variety of the cannabis plant containing tiny levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that puts the pleasure in pot.

 

Smoke this Government-approved cannabis and all you'll get is a cough. The Government has just passed the Hemp Industry Act allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp under licence.

 

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the plant could be used to help create fuel, building materials, insulation, a base for skincare products, paints, paper products and textiles.

 

"It is a potentially lucrative industrial industry because farmers will have the option of another fast-growing summer crop that can be used in rotation with winter grain crops," Mr Macdonald said.

 

The minister said hemp was environmentally friendly, water efficient and extremely hardy.

 

This is a marked turnaround for governments, which for more than 60 years have seen hemp as synonymous with drugs. NSW follows four other states in allowing industrial hemp crops.

 

Hemp was a major product for textiles, rope and paper around the world until the 1930s when it was overtaken by the oil and timber industries.

 

Mr Macdonald said there was an issue with getting the plant accepted as a crop because industrial hemp and marijuana plants look similar.

 

National Party deputy leader Andrew Fraser said he was concerned farmers could mix the crops and grow the illegal variety.

 

But under the law only farmers with no criminal record can get a licence to grow hemp. Police and agricultural inspectors will monitor properties regularly.

 

Narromine farmer Ross Browning found 13 police officers raiding his farm when he was involved in an industrial hemp trial project.

 

"Somebody stole heads of the plants from my field and dobbed me in when police arrested him for possessing dope. They demanded I pull it all out until I showed them the licence. But they still took samples from my crop and sent it away for testing.

 

"When it came back with almost no THC reading I was off the hook, but the thief was still in trouble."

 

Griffith farmer Pat Calabria has been experimenting with hemp varieties for seven years, but believes Australia has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the world.

 

"This could become a major crop in Australia like it is in Europe, but we need processing plants and a market for this crop to take off," he said.

Author: Frank Walker

Date: 13/07/08

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Copyright: © 2008 Fairfax Digital

[mull]

Not sure how Pat Calabria got his exemption 7 years ago..

 

Hemp was a major product for textiles, rope and paper around the world until the 1930s when it was overtaken by the oil and timber industries.

 

When it was banned, not overtaken

 

Mr Macdonald said there was an issue with getting the plant accepted as a crop because industrial hemp and marijuana plants look similar.

 

Because they're the same plant. Met a grower recently who didn't even realize this.

 

 

Police and agricultural inspectors will monitor properties regularly.

 

 

Gotta protect and invest.. oh no serve, serve..

[Naycha]

Not sure how Pat Calabria got his exemption 7 years ago..

 

He was probably one of the lucky fellas doing the trials in NSW, they have been going for a fair while now.

[Radic]

irey mulla

right on bro

and this 1 from Andrew Fraser, tells i,

he dont know what he is talking bout or dosent want we to know what he talking bout

National Party deputy leader Andrew Fraser said he was concerned farmers could mix the crops and grow the illegal variety

hahahaaarrrrr

yah cant grow the two in the same field

they are oppersits

each require different management practes

and thus result in some equally stricking different apperances

hemp is planted very close together, fed lotsa N and k all to encourage stem growth

thats where the bucks are

in the stems

the budz never get nuff P, or space to, or time to grow

males are left in to porduce seed for the next crop

the hemp plants are bout 4m to 5m tall with a few small budz at the top, no side branches, narrow sativa style leaves

can you picture a hemp field with a few medicinal varieties in there

covered in sticky budz

hahahahah

only an educated fool would say dat

thats why macdonald said

industrial hemp and marijuana plants look similar.

now what they are really worried bout is that low thc varieties are high in cbd

which is the precuser to thc

as we all know,

it is possible to roll all the cbd into thc

so if some1 rippsoff some low thc budz they can easly convert them to high thc

hehehe

gotta love dat

[MongyMan]

hahahaaarrrrr

yah cant grow the two in the same field

they are oppersits

each require different management practes

and thus result in some equally stricking different apperances

hemp is planted very close together, fed lotsa N and k all to encourage stem growth

thats where the bucks are

in the stems............

the hemp plants are bout 4m to 5m tall with a few small budz at the top, no side branches, narrow sativa style leaves

 

Hemp strains grown specificaly for fibre are planted very close together yes but that doesnt mean you cant grow high THC plants in the same field. There are plenty of very high THC sativa strains that will grow exactly the same if planted at the same density. Who cares if each plant only has a single bud at the top when you could grow a heap of them, same as with a SOG setup and hemp grown specificaly for seed or essential oils has totaly different management practices which makes it even easier.

 

can you picture a hemp field with a few medicinal varieties in there

covered in sticky budz

hahahahah

 

Easily in these fields Radic.

 

Thes are hemp plants being grown for seed and essential oil.

 

 

These are hemp plants grown for seed and fibre.

 

 

These are hemp plants grown for seed only.

 

 

Peace MongyMan

[MongyMan]

now what they are really worried bout is that low thc varieties are high in cbd

which is the precuser to thc

as we all know,

it is possible to roll all the cbd into thc

so if some1 rippsoff some low thc budz they can easly convert them to high thc

hehehe

gotta love dat

 

Have you ever done this Radic? Is it easy? I thought it was something that could be done in theory but wasn't worth doing in reality because of the processes involved.

 

Peace MongyMan