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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Area farmers form hemp co-op
Continued from page 1
feeling of euphoria when smoked. Gail
stressed that you can not “get high” by
smoking these plants.
After a nearly a 60 year hiatus, Hemp is
finding its way back into the marketplace,
mostly in a liquid form of cannabidiol oil
[CBD] that is extracted from the plant and
is being used for medical purposes, such
as easing the pain of arthritis, countering
anxiety and helping to get to sleep.
Harvest will start about September 15
and run through October 5. The plants are
then dried using various techniques that
result in a biomass, which is dried CBD
hemp. The oil can be extracted by several
methods, using CO2, ethanol or water
vaporization technologies, resulting in
varying percentages of the oil. Gail said
they will use a small extractor this year
to, “allow us to do our trials so that
we can prepare for FDA regulations and
labeling and work our production to meet
standards.”
Amy welcomes the return of hemp.
“The plant that was taken away from
the people is now back for the people,”
she said. “The mission statement of the
cooperative is to try to have farmers be
the ones who benefit from the wealth
creation that comes from a plant.”
Amy said their co-op model is quite
unique, pointing out that their farmers are
able to, “maintain their own sovereignty
through the supply chain then they can
extract the wealth creation of this new
economy as opposed to just selling out
to the people at the other end.” She said
the risks are spread out and profits are
ultimately shared more equitably.
“We just want everyone to come up
together,” she said.
Gail said they have not “succumbed”
to all of the money that is presently
flooding the marketplace.
“We have been able to resist investors
owning us... Our business is not owned
by anyone but the farmer’s interests,”
she said. “The farmer participates in the
wealth creation with profit sharing.”
Amy said being a part of the co-op
requires the desire, not only to get along
with the members, but to have the ability
to, “trust one another, do the right thing,
continue to communicate and learn. The
knowledge-shared base co-operative is a
unique opportunity to work together for
the common good.”
Gail said to ensure the co-operative’s
success they have added several people to
their team: Rob Stuple and Diane Feilen
are assisting in Sales & Marketing; Chris
Dave DuBois, of DuBois Farms, has planted a little more than an acre of hemp for the first
time this season.
Butler is in charge of meeting the FDA
requirements, Technology and Product
Development and Florence Rondeau
Chang is in charge of Finance and
Operations.
“In addition to farmers to pull off
the co-operative, we need to have savvy
people in finance, marketing, operations
and manufacturing,” she said.
After Dave DuBois, of DuBois Farms
in Highland, heard Amy Hepworth’s pitch
for hemp he was sold. “She came right
over, we talked about it and I said, sounds
great, let’s do it.” He started this year
by planting a little more than an acre of
hemp, saying he has faith in the co-op’s
vision.
DuBois shows how he carefully waters and
fertilizes his hemp crop using a large hose
with feeder lines running at right angles off
of it and down the rows of plants.
DuBois said the co-operative provides
members with more control over their
crop and of their financial return, “and
hopefully keep out the big corporations
and the big money and keep it farmer-
owned.”
DuBois planted all his hemp in rows
of raised beds with a slight slope to avoid
water from staying too long on the roots.
He waters and fertilizes his plants weekly,
doing it organically to avoid any harmful
chemicals from being drawn up into the
plant.
Jason Minard, of Minard Farms
in Clintondale, is also an enthusiastic
supporter and grower of hemp, saying,
“this is a good opportunity for the
growers.” He planted 12 acres this year
and said the future looks bright for this
crop due to a recent Hemp Bill that will
be going before Governor Cuomo for his
signature.
“It will require that any CBD made
in New York State has got to come from
New York Farms,” he said. “They have to
use our hemp and that’s a good thing for
farmers in general.”
Minard said his family has been
farming in the Hudson Valley since 1906
and feels he is in a good position to take
advantage of this new opportunity. He
said profits can vary.
“It can go anywhere from $36,000 per
acre net profit upwards of $120,000 per
acre and that is unheard of in farming,”
he said. “We’re growing for CBD use and
we’ve used specific genetics that we’ve
sourced that we feel will grow good here
in the Hudson Valley.”
Minard pointed out that “big pharma”
is against this because less prescriptions
and opioids are being sold.
Mike Wright, of Wright’s Farm in
Gardner, said he planted about 5 acres of
hemp this year. He said the plants can top
five feet in height.
“They’re not quite there yet but
they’re on their way,” he said.
Wright said the co-op helps everyone,
“when you’re collectively trying to do one
thing together.”
Barth Davenport, of Davenport Farms
in Stone Ridge, has planted about 8 acres
of hemp for the first time this year. He
said the co-op was the deciding factor for
him to move forward with this new crop,
“I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”
Rick Lawrence, of Lawrence Farm
Orchards in Newburgh, planted 7 acres
with four varieties of hemp, He said Amy
Hepworth encouraged him to use some
vacant acreage that he has not used for
about 20 years.
“I’m not interested in marijuana but
the hemp seemed to be a better fit for me,”
he said. “We’re growing it organically
with no chemicals.”
Lawrence said there is a lot to learn
about this crop, “but we seem to be on
the beginning of the curve. I’m looking
forward to the first harvest and the plant
grows pretty well here.”
Lawrence favors the idea of a co-op
structure.
“There’s a lot of knowledge and there’s
safety in numbers...If we can collectively
bargain with everything, it’s hopefully
going to turn out better,” he said.
Erik Shellenberg, of Black Creek
Farm in Highland, planted just an acre of
hemp this year, in part because he has low
land that can retain water a bit too long in
a rainy year. But he is enthusiastic about
this new crop.
“Obviously it has a pretty exciting
potential, economically for the industry,”
he said. “Like many people, the numbers
seemed a little too exciting to pass up.”
Shellenberg said having the co-op
gives area farmers a fighting chance
against the mega-farms in the mid-west.
“The pooling together of everybody’s
share allows us to access markets that
none of us would be able to access
individually,” he said. “As a small farmer
it’s difficult for me to be all things at once
and to have people who are taking care
of the marketing, that’s huge in and of
itself.”