2 Major Challenges for NZ Hemp Growers
“ At HempFarm NZ we are ‘ dual crop ’ focused ” explains Dave . “ Dual crops are food and fiber crops . They are tall and have special challenges at harvest and processing time ."
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Dave Jordan CEO HempFarm NZ dave @ hempfarm . co . nz
" HempFarm NZ is dedicated to the setting up of its food and fiber facilities in New Zealand over the next two years . HempFarm plans a full fiber processing facility for the 2020 harvest . HempFarm will also process the 2019 crops of up to 400 hectares of baled stalk from the four regions of New Zealand ."
1 Hemp fiber must be separated from the woody core by mechanical means ( decortication ) or by the process of " retting " ( rotting ). New Zealand ' s climate is largely unsuitable for retting due to high rainfall .
2 If you are retting your hemp in the fields , it means your land is tied up when it ' s time to sow winter grasses . Sometimes for many weeks depending on weather conditions , an style of processing , ( for example ) if it is left too long in rain and / or very damp conditions . It will be rotting rather than retting ,” Dave points out .
Dave Jordan of HempFarm NZ has trialled , tested and commissioned the D8 Decortication Machine which can process fresh hemp fiber without retting . A world first .
Harvesting hemp for fiber processing might sound easy , but when you start to harvest you realize the enormity of the task . It is a massive challenge and not just for the New Zealand hemp industry , but also for the global industry .