Want to know the best time to plant hemp in the Midwest? Or what cultivar consistently produces a crop below 0.3% THC?

Researchers in the Midwest have successfully pooled that information despite the pandemic, creating a database designed to give farmers an idea of what to expect from their hemp cultivars in 2021 and beyond.

Last summer, researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin-Madison invited growers in their states to submit certain information about their crop for the database in exchange for a discount on cannabinoid sampling.

The result is the Midwestern Hemp Database, which also includes participants from Michigan State University, Purdue University and growers in their respective states.

“We wanted to work together to stop working in silos all the time and share information across the region, not just within our own state, and figure out what’s working and what’s not for our growers,” said Phillip Alberti, educator for commercial agriculture at the University of Illinois Extension.

“Also very importantly, what sources of genetics, what varieties out there might be more suited to their environment for performance issues or ultimately (THC) compliance, which of these varieties are going to produce a compliant crop.”

First-ever data sharing

The database includes information on:

• When a particular cultivar was planted.
• When it started flowering.
• When it was harvested.
• A cultivar’s CBD and THC profile.

Collectively, the data also provides growers an idea of how high CBD levels can get before the plants exceed 0.3% THC, for example, or what soil type is being used most (silt loam), and what planting method is most popular (transplants from seed).

Alberti said the database also helps get a picture of when is the best time to test plants for THC.

“Because that ultimately determines compliance,” he said. “What is kind of the peak window that growers can expect they’re going to be busier, that they really need to be paying attention to cannabinoid levels.”

Alberti said growers pay $30 for cannabinoid testing – about half the normal cost – per sample at Rock River Laboratory, Inc., in Watertown, Wisconsin.

“Cannabinoid profiling is very expensive,” he said. “It’s kind of the scariest thing growers have to deal with because in order to harvest their material, they have to show compliance.”

Success through the pandemic

Covid-19 restricted agriculture officials’ ability to collect data from the field last year, so having growers submit their own information was a good way to get data despite the pandemic, said Shelby Ellison, an associate professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“It was great that we were able to get participation across the number of different states,” she said.

Paul Grethey Jr., owner of Simple Livin’ Farms in Groveland, Illinois, was among the growers who shared information for the database last year.

“What’s really cool about the hemp database is now you can actually compare what you grew against what other farmers grew, compare your soils, your nutrients…and you can see what’s going yield best in your type of soil,” he said.

The universities plan to continue collecting data again this year and hope to add participants from other states.

Ellison advises farmers not to focus on one factor when analyzing the database, but instead look for the bigger picture.

“Really look at the trends that you’re observing to inform you for both agronomic practices and cultivar decisions for the next year.”

Ivan Moreno can be reached at [email protected]

The number of hemp processors in Illinois doubled over the last year as the new industry tries to establish itself in a state that’s already an agricultural powerhouse.

Row crops are nothing new to growers in Illinois – one of the top corn-producing states in the country – but the infrastructure required to process hemp is still a work in progress. But there are signs of a maturing industry: Last year the state registered 362 hemp processors, up from 146 in 2019.

More people want to cultivate the crop, too, with 798 licensed growers in 2020, compared to 601 in 2019. Even so, agriculture officials expect to see a decrease from the 7,141 acres planted in 2019, as growers get a better sense of how much they really need to plant to suit their capacity and needs.

“That’s a trend that we’re seeing across the country as well,” said Phillip Alberti, educator for commercial agriculture at the University of Illinois Extension. Alberti said “growers are starting to kind of figure out that for high cannabinoid hemp, it’s very easy to plant more than you’re willing to handle or able to handle.”

The number of hemp acres planted in 2020 are not yet available.

Paul Grethey Jr., owner of Simple Livin’ Farms in Groveland, Illinois, has grown horticulture crops including ornamentals and vegetables, but said cultivating hemp was “the most fun” he has ever had.

“I’ve got 12 acres of the richest farm ground on the planet, and my goal has always been, ‘OK, how do I make more money than corn and soybeans off this valuable ground?” he said.

Grethey said he plans to grow hemp again this year. But for now, he’s still considering what to do with last year’s yield.

“With the processors in Illinois being so limited, there’s not a whole lot of options to choose from,” he said. “I’ve really been waiting for the proper opportunity to maximize the value of my product.”

Most of the hemp grown in Illinois is for cannabinoid extraction, but Rachel Berry, the founder and CEO of the Illinois Hemp Growers’ Association, predicts a shift to grain and fiber “once the industry catches up and there’s an outlet for farmers to send” their crop.

She said she has spoken to farmers who are interested in fiber and grain, “but they’re very apprehensive until they can get a contract and there’s nobody doing grain and fiber contracts in Illinois right now.”

Growing hemp for cannabinoids is time-consuming and expensive – hiring a processor, making sure the plant is below the 0.3%THC limit – and it may not be so appealing to some farmers.

“We’re used to growing row crops here,” Berry said. “So I think that traditional farmers – corn and soy farmers – will be more interested in something that is a little more straightforward.”

Alberti said among the things growers are learning is that hemp season can be long, depending on where you are in the state. That means growers can delay planting until June if the spring is particularly wet.

“You have to be aware of where you are in the state, what type of climate you have and the variety that you’re growing because all three of those factors kind of play into each other,” he said.

Ivan Moreno can be reached at [email protected]