Hemp seeds grown in Australia’s first Hemp Farm
The Hemp Farm is the world’s first public demonstration, education and working farm growing low-THC industrial hemp.
Based on the North Coast of NSW (Byron Bay), the hemp farm is dedicated to the many uses of this estranged plant. Grown under Government license, hemp does not contain psychoactive quantities of the drug ingredient.
The benefits of growing hemp fit with permaculture principles. Hemp requires no pesticides or herbicides, can clean up waste water (of which it does not require much) and offers many uses from both its stem and seed.
The stem has a very strong fibre, based on its cellular structure that is being used locally in creating 100% hemp bio-plastics. The same stalk is used to make building materials. At the hemp farm there are two examples of this — one of hemp and lime, and one of hemp and clay. The hemp buildings are breathable, easy to produce from local ingredients and require no special machinery. The same stalk can be used to produce textiles, geotextiles, paper, garden mulch and animal bedding (it is super absorbent). A new technology developed in New Zealand and Germany also allows the hemp stalk to efficiently create bio-diesel from the high cellulose content found in hemp.
As well as all of these uses for the fibre, the hemp seed contains a superior form of plant protein to most other sources. With all essential amino acids the hemp seed is easily digestible unlike most of its counterparts — making it ideal for vegetarians, body builders and anyone needing high quality protein. It is the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acid content that really makes hemp seed shine with its ideal proportion for the human body. The high quantity and quality of EFAs in hemp seed have been shown in various global studies to assist in most skin issues, promoting velvety skin and luscious hair, brain development in pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, prevention of some heart problems and much more.
Visit the Hemp Farm in Byron Bay at www.hempfarm.com.au
High,
Sorry but not really the ‘first’ unless you mean it as a capitalised and trademarked term . . .
Hemp farms in Australia have a far longer history then just this, including various Government research farms several decades ago and numerous individual and commercially-based operations in more recent decades.
Apart from that the rest of the info is fairly accurate . . .
Cheers
I’ve been a strong believer in hemp for many years now, and was one of those who believed it could “save the world”. After discovering permaculture however, I realise any monoculture system is not sustainable, which has got me thinking of how hemp could be integrated into a diverse system, the inputs, outputs, intrinsic characteristics, and companion planting with hemp.
Unfortunately I’m not in a position right now to conduct my own experiments, and wonder if anyone out there has also given it some thought, or even better, implemented hemp into a diverse system.
Being such a mineral rich plant (for seed anyway), I imagine it is quite nutrient intensive on the soil, yet it’s taproot could draw nutrients for surrounding plants and possibly engage in beneficial exchanges with other species, it’s scent could deter pests, it’s leaves good for mulch, possibly act as a wind break. Just a few rough ideas.
Any discussion on this would be great.
Hi Mark. Check out the Vietnam article in the second link in the ‘further reading’ section at bottom of the post above, and you’ll see how traditional folk do it. I was there (wrote the article), and saw that their hemp plots were on a small scale and amongst a lot of other diversity.
If Hemp is grown in industrial scales it will be just like any other mono-culture crop. I highly doubt when grown on scale it will be weed or pest free. Maybe when it’s growing under lights in someones roof it’s insect free. =)
Thanks for a great article there Craig. We could certainly learn a lot from the Hmong. What an experience you must have had. Do you know where I could find more about their cultivation practices, or do you remember what they were planting it with? It seems seed varieties are inter-dispersed with maize and beans in Yunnan province, China, and even grown for ornamental purposes with amaranth, dahlia and sunflower. I’ll keep scouring.
And before we get a flood of bad marijuana jokes, I’d just like to point out that marijuana is just one part of the extremely, extremely versatile cannabis crop, with benefits including fantastic medicinal properties and a creative enjoyable intoxicant, in the right hands of course, like any intoxicant. Marijuana jokes are all a symptom of the brainwashing conducted over the past several generations to destroy cannabis’s reputation and make us believe cannabis is a descendant of the devil here to tear at the fabric of society. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Good to be aware of this.
Was thinking that hemp grown into rips of a Yeomans plow, to be followed after harvest, with food forest planting in the next just off contour rip might work due to the deep tap root, or the rip after, allowing the deep tap root to compost in. Anyone try this already?
Paul, low EROEI decortication and designing hemp use into a polyculture system is the key to producing a regenerative claim in my opinion.And I have only seen one low EROEI decortication system, and am wondering if any is grown as part of a polyculture system in Australia that you know of.
Here is an informative article on hemp seeds in Norwegian: https://hordnes.info/2011/11/hampfro-et-naeringsperspektiv/
Nb! The article does not separate between short omega-3 fatty acids from plant seeds and long chained fatty acids from fish oil. The short changed omega-3 cannot replace the long chained from sea food.
Hi, I am from Byron Bay and now I have a party interested to grow industrial hemp in China. Can you provide seeds for trial run and can you inform by return the approximate consumption of hemp seeds.
Best regard
Hi Team.
You are more than likely onto this but perhaps it is worth sending to your distributors/retailers/on-line stores/clients/members/customers/fanes/mailing list/tweet/facebook/etc.
Let them know to submit their opinions here (scroll down to the Lodging a Submission info or link):
https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/changes/submission/Pages/default.aspx
Application number: A1039 (Low THC Hemp as a Food)
We need to make the most of the extended deadline. Keep up your great work.
Cheers, Leo (no reply expected)