Olds is a good place to grow hemp, a variety of cannabis, which can be used to create many useful products, a speaker says.
That was the message from Jan Slaski, a principal researcher of plant sciences for Innotech Alberta. Slaski was the keynote speaker during the second annual Western Canada Hemp Industry conference, held March 15 at Olds College.
“Absolutely. This area is capable of supporting, growing feedstock, growing crop for the processing facilities,” said Slaski, during an interview with the Albertan. “In other words hemp can grow and grow fairly well in the neighbourhood of Olds.”
Several companies either have set up in Olds or are looking at doing so to produce cannabis for medical and recreational use.
For those who don’t know, hemp is a form of cannabis with low levels of THC, the ingredient that gets people "high" (less than 0.3 per cent). It is used for fibre, food, animal feed, clothing, biodegradable plastics and more.
Unlike cannabis, hemp can be grown with minimal care, relative to the controlled nature of growing cannabis and is adaptable to grow in most climates.
However, Slaski said growing hemp isn’t the same as other crops and that schools like Olds College are vital to educating future growers.
“Farmers here grow staple crops, canola, barley, you name it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you know how to grow hemp. If you apply the same set of agronomic practices and knowledge as farming to hemp, you will fail.
“That’s why I’m talking about the big role of colleges to educate farmers and coach them, how to grow and cultivate hemp,” Slaski said.
“My colleagues and I prepared a hemp growing manual, something that’s a starting point for farmers, growers, students, you name it,” he said. “However, I would like to see some courses, instructions or information regarding hemp and its opportunities.”
