Charles Perry called hemp “the hot crop, a drought-resistant lifesaver for farmers. It was approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives with unanimous votes. Hemp is also an abundant and drought-resistant crop, making it ideal for warm climates. It can thrive in a variety of soil types and climates, with a harvest cycle of 90 to 120 days.
This extraordinarily rapid growth rate allows for the possibility of harvesting between 2 and 3 harvests per year. Although the variety of hemp plants currently available may not deserve the title of drought tolerant on its own, the hemp boom is inspiring a new wave of creativity in agriculture with a focus on water saving. Hemp contains a rich source of dietary fiber, which contributes to a healthy digestive tract and its wide range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants make hemp a true whole food for well-being. An hour and a half away, in Sterling, the Lebsock hemp farm is testing large-scale drip irrigation for hemp.
Despite all this, hemp industry leaders remain optimistic that cultivation can take off as long as farmers regain interest in industrial hemp and introduce it into their row crop rotations. Hemp production has “promise and potential in Texas,” he said, but the industry has about two years to build a market for hemp before farmers give up completely. For hemp grown for CBD and for fiber, the optimal daytime high temperature for production is 70 degrees to 80 degrees, said Calvin Trostle, the state-level AgriLife hemp specialist. Hemp can also be grown for cannabidiol or CBD, in which case it is grown in greenhouses and needs even greater amounts of water than industrial hemp.
Many retailers are still purchasing fiber and grains internationally to get the products at a better price, said Leah Lakstins, who works with retailers and hemp farmers to develop hemp businesses in Texas. When asked about claims that hemp was drought-resistant, Nolan of the Texas Hemp Coalition So how can hemp save agriculture in the arid southwest? While marijuana is generally grown in small quantities under strictly controlled conditions, often indoors, industrial hemp is grown like most other field crops, such as corn and alfalfa, but requires much less water to produce a viable crop for the market. The government changed the rules again, begging farmers to grow hemp in a propaganda film called Hemp for Victory. Most people in the hemp industry are not agriculture as their main source of income and are growing hemp for CBD, according to a USDA survey.
The legalization of hemp was accompanied by an influx of hemp producers eager to take advantage of the new harvest.
