Inch by inch, row by row, California fiber hemp continues to grow. Where it stands, no one knows. However, with plants already exceeding 18 feet and several weeks to go until harvest, cannabis dealers president Lawrence Serbin is highly optimistic that he will land in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The culture of Lemoore, CA, is unusually high and has no real competition, but the true record has already been set. This area in the Central Valley of California is the first fiber cane grown in the state since a demonstration crop was tested in the Imperial Valley in 1994 by the Hempstead Company and the Ohio Hempery, under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture. Then, Attorney General Dan Lungren, a Republican, sent narcotics police into the camp to destroy the drug-free culture, which had been destined for research and development.
Chris Boucher, who oversaw the 1994 culture, was on hand for the introduction of the new culture, such as cannabis lights from across the state.
No cannabinoids, hemp fibers
In recent years, much of the cannabis farming community has been focused on growing CBD or other cannabis-rich cannabinoid varieties. The practice has fueled a speculative practice of large-crop plantations followed by a market flood and the collapse of prices damaging the bottom line and reflecting a boom and bust market.
While the CBD market is here to stay, it is also hit by two factors. Farmers can’t even guess the value of next year’s CBD crop because they don’t know how much is being grown or what the demand will be. The cannabis and marijuana markets are arguing over who can control the cannabinoids used for human consumption. Farmers rightly claim that cannabinoids are part of the federal Farm Bill under the control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Marijuana growers indicate the highest standard of regulation for human consumption that is integrated into the state’s legalization laws.
Serbin, whose company is one of the leading importers and distributors of hemp fiber products in America, stands out from this foray and focuses on what he and the “cannabis” cannabis companies have been preaching for years: Hemp it is a crop of fiber and grain that is essential for economic growth and environmental recovery. Farmers have a long history of producing food crops, and cannabis is nutritious for humans and farm animals.
At the July 31 inauguration of the crop site near Fresno, Serbin spoke at length about the importance of hemp for textiles, hopefully to be transformed into a nearby mill, and for construction as hemp. of cane and insulation products. Hempcrete is a building material made from cane hurds that is resistant to pests and mold, insulates from sound and temperature and weighs only about 1/7 as much as cement per value.
Large biomass from water menu
In addition to the ability to produce food grain and fiber products, Serbin and other crop affiliates have noted their low water footprint with their large biomass. The plants were lush in the summer sun and the participants were dripping with sweat while standing in the sun; but, as soon as people entered the “hemp tunnel” across the field under their canopy, there was a marked cooling. The ground was shaded by the canopy and covered with fallen leaves to reduce water loss and evaporation.
After seeing the crop and hearing about several people associated with the crop, after exploring the fields, participants in the crop screening went to nearby Riverdale, where one of the last operating cotton mills in California was located. renovated to work with hemp. For the initial culture, the California mill will purify and prepare the culture, but it will be sent to China to be spun into yarns and yarns for use in textiles, perhaps made in American factories.
Serbin noted that since World War II, the United States has dismantled most of its textile production facilities and shipped them abroad. The restored California mill, he noted, could become a model for reverting to the American textile manufacturing sector.
“It really makes a lot of sense,” he said, “for the industry to use all parts of the plant – the grain, the long fiber, the yarn and even the roots.” This is more difficult to do when the harvested plant has to be decomposed and shipped worldwide for manufacturing. In addition to all the time and resources spent on transportation, “The savings in shipping costs can be billed in profits and used to pay workers here a better wage.”
