Farmers begin harvesting hemp crops for use of its fibre

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Hemp has long been proclaimed a wonder plant, and for just as long demonised as a narcotic. But it's the fibre, not the leaf or seed, that's now attracting some serious investment.

Transcript

00:00 It went worth New South Wales where the Darling River meets the mighty Murray, a beast of

00:15 a machine, a 510 horsepower harvester is chewing its way through a 3 to 4 metre tall crop.

00:24 This is hemp grown as a trial under irrigation on a laser graded field.

00:28 It's a very marginal ground where we are and we needed something that's a bit robust

00:33 and I've seen it as being a robust plant to grow on heavy clays soils and improve our

00:39 soil structure as well.

00:41 Gavin Hopkins grew only 40 hectares because it's a very difficult crop to harvest and

00:47 process.

00:48 The machine needs to be especially powerful and fitted with tungsten steel blades because

00:53 it's chopping through one of the toughest plants on the planet.

00:58 The hemp plant is amazingly rigorous, it can grow up to 6 metres tall in a matter of months.

01:03 It's also extraordinarily strong, it's up to 6 times stronger than steel and of course

01:08 it's way more environmentally friendly.

01:16 A lot of people have got no idea how tough this crop is.

01:19 This crop is probably one of the toughest things I've ever had to deal with in farming

01:24 in all my life as far as getting it to a point where it's marketable on farm.

01:30 Finding an effective, efficient way to harvest hemp stalks has long been an impediment to

01:35 growing it.

01:36 After 4 years of effort, Gavin Hopkins believes he's achieved that long awaited breakthrough.

01:42 It's very exciting.

01:43 We've been 4 years, I can finally see the light, that's what I can see now, it's starting

01:48 to move.

01:50 Recent interest in hemp has centred mostly on the seed, a proven health food high in

01:55 beneficial omega 3 acid.

01:58 Until 2017 there were some restrictive, outdated laws around growing hemp in Australia.

02:05 Industrial hemp and marijuana are chalk and cheese, they're very different.

02:10 They look the same or look very similar and that's the reason why there's been so much

02:14 animosity towards industrial hemp.

02:18 Now you can buy locally grown hemp seed from the supermarket.

02:22 The focus has moved to hemp stalks, what's called industrial hemp.

02:27 Industrial hemp is predominantly used for manufacturing processes of the fibre and the

02:32 herd.

02:34 Hemp is cannabis with less than 1% THC.

02:37 With more than 1% THC we refer to it as either marijuana, because everyone knows what that

02:42 is, or high THC cannabis.

02:44 So there is that distinction and we have a neutral position on high THC cannabis.

02:50 We are focused clearly and solely on hemp and how it can be developed as a mainstream

02:56 agricultural industry for Australian farmers.

02:58 farms.

02:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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