Hi we have 20 tillable acres in flint, mi we are planning on planting with high CBD hemp this year.
I have gotten quotes of $1000-$5000/lb of certified (high CBD) low THC hemp seeds. LOL. And i have heard different planting rates from 1800-2000 feminized seeds per acre to 4000-5000 regular seeds per acre to as many as 25 lbs of regular seeds per acre for industrial fiber hemp seed. One place told me 5 lbs is approx. 175,000 seeds
Im looking to oregon, colorado, or kentucky to source genetics. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I know there are small family farmers out there like us who have similar needs and issues they deal with and can offer insight.
That tainted water is from the water treatment plant. The problem is with the city water pipes and the pipes in peoples houses as a result of using the tainted water from the city pipes.
Its rural here. You only have gas and water if you live in a city. We are all on wells and septics here and have propane everything.
We are on a well 200’ deep into the bedrock.
And now for the kicker (y’all are show-ers not grow-ers) we dont water the plants in the fields LOL. We have well-water irrigation to the greenhouses, and the fields are all drain tiled, but the fields dont get irrigation
The cleanliness of the Flint River and the lead in people’s pipes are two different problems.
The problem in the Flint River as many other rivers all over in rural areas is from runoff from the fields. Agricultural areas are and have always been built around natural waterways. So the runoff makes the river dirty; but lots of rivers are dirty and people dont drink leaded water.
Places all over still have lead pipes underground leading to your house from the road. Water even comes into your house in lead and at the meter it switches to something else like copper or galvanized.
People whose houses are on city water service are at the mercy of the water department to keep them safe and lead-free.
What caused this situation in flint is they had an “emergency financial manager” who cut out the treatment regimen that stops the river water from sucking lead out of the pipes in peoples homes or on the way to peoples homes. These people had no idea and they kept on using the water for everything from watering their plants to eating and drinking. Then they (the government) tried to cover it up. When everybody found out the water was leaching this lead from the pipes it was too late. Now everybodys pipes (houses) who never had a problem are all contaminated with lead throughout and the pipes have to be removed and replaced. And the pipes in the ground which are lead or contaminated by lead; those have to be replaced too.
The bigger problem with flint is its not just flint. Its every city with old water pipes with old houses with people living in them are at risk of this happening to them. All the families and hipsters moving into old neighborhoods and gentrifying them and fixing up their houses to the T’s usually dont replace the city water service to the house because its cost prohibitive. They want to spend 20k on something they can look at, not something that COULD be a problem.
I’m interested in your place to grow hemp sans irrigation.
I grew a handful of plants on my Permaculture farm up here in the PNW with no irrigation, they were planted atop massive hugel beds and deeply mulched, plus it rains frequently during the summer here.
We could irrigate if we had to but i would probably need a bigger well mine is only 5" wide. The fields hold water for days if not weeks after it rains. Everybodys fields all around us are all connected by drain tiles. And they all flow to the local “drain” which feeds the river. We grow soybeans just fine here and the corn grows 10 feet tall without irrigation. I dont see why hemp would be any different. It might not get big and fat like in a greenhouse but it will still grow in a field from seed just like any grain.
Right now we gross maybe 500 bucks per acre of grain per year. I think its worth it to see what cannabis can do for us on an agricultural scale.
The issue isnt heavy metals in the river. Its the wrong pH water going into peoples houses.
No big farms that i know of are on city water. Not for irrigation at least. Farms are on Ag land and thats almost never in the “city.” The city water has a bunch of crap in it that nobody should be consuming like treatment chemicals, fluoride, and pharmaceuticals to name a few.
And to reiterate people dont irrigate grains in Michigan. Thats a Midwest thing that they need to do because their location isn’t ideal. They have sucked about all the water up out of the plains and they too will have to change or fail.
I too once thought you ate the corn in the field. And farmers had to water their plants. I also had no idea tofu came from soybeans.
I was what they call a “city-slicker” or up north a “flat-lander”
Now i have had to un-learn those misconceptions that made people literally laugh at me when i would ask things like “when does the farmer come back to water?” Or “how many times per week do they water?” Mostly country folk will look at you like they have no idea where you even came up with questions like that. Because they dont even understand what you are asking. Theyre not being rude.
Almost every person who grew up in a metropolitan area has no idea how the world actually works. They just think you get a job, go buy food, and turn on the water faucet. Somebody has to kill that animal youre eating. Somebody has to make sure your water is safe to drink.
Most hemp farms I’ve been in irrigate one way or the other, which is why I ask. Not because I live in a city, which I don’t, but because I come from an agricultural background.
I have seen guys in eastern Oregon growing in a style they call “dry farming” but that’s a whole different animal.
I didn’t say it wasn’t possible, I was just curious as to what your plan was. If you till, you will cause subsoil compaction, which will make it tough for your water table searching cannabis tap root to perform it’s job.
If you have standing water in the field regularly, what are your plans for mold mitigation?
No disrespect meant or implied. I appreciate you offering input, thats what i asked for
When i say the fields hold water what i mean is they do flood for a bit in the spring when and if it rains heavy. We plant when it has been just the right amount of time since the last rain and before the next.
So the drain tiles go across the fields to the local drain and theyre maybe 40 or 50 feet apart probably and mostly parallel. So those drain tiles which are pitched down towards the ditch, drain the fields for days, weeks, maybe months while it keeps raining now and then and keeps refilling the fields with water. Theyre sort of like a big ebb and flow system. So because of my close proximity to the drain ditch and my lower elevation everybody elses fields drain through my fields.
My land used to be part of a big strawberry farm which they would irrigate bit i dont know enough to know if it would be done the same way today.
I look to my local farmer neighbors who have been doing it their whole lives for generations. Im getting input from as many sources as possible local and abroad to decide which path we will take
We do preventative treatment in the greenhouse and indoor obviously for mold and mildew. I would like to do the same for the fields but i dont know that its feasable for us yet. Its something were working on. We are sourcing genetics so im looking to find a strain from a similar latitude to us, and possibly one less prone to molds
We grow mostly all natural. Lots of KNF inputs, natural bug and mold sprays. We are always trying to cut corners and pinch pennies wherever possible.
Do your research on seed companies. I would get on insta and find some companies. Seeds seem to be 1-5$ for feminized. Oregon Cbd seeds is the best deal I found, ( $1/seed even in smaller amounts) but they make you sign a No breeding or cloning agreement
It’s the first year so we’re really just blind here unless we know someone that has used these companies. I’m getting seeds from several places and will be closely monitoring for shitty herm genetics. Most of the more legit seeming companies say 1/4000 herm rate for their feminized seeds
I got some testers finally. 21 regular otto x baox he called it the colorado cherry i think. $60 delivered and a free pack of THC motormouth thanks to @masonic_smoker
Standing water on your fields makes me want to see your soil analysis results. The Mehlich 3 specifically. If you can get those numbers (25-35 dollars from Logan Labs or Spectrum Analytics) I can give you my recommendation for mineral amendments. Guessing Ca is very low, Mg probably high. And yes you will compact if you till… without the proper Ca amendment.
