Hemp cultivars grown for seed and hemp seed oil are typically slender, and about 5-7 feet tall. They produce hemp grain, an oil seed with high protein content with high nutritional value.
- Planting Time: Mid-May to mid-June depending on where grown and per the strains best practices.
- Planting Method: Grain drill, broadcast seeder or corn planter. Direct seed in rows; males and females needed.
- Planting/seeding Rate: 25-35 pounds of seed per acre.
- Harvest Time: At maturity, generally 100-120 days after planting; mid September to mid-October.
- Harvest Method: Regular combine harvester but may experience high seed loss and issues with stalk clogging rotors. Harvested product is the grain.
- Curing/Post-Harvest Handling: Grain dryer. Clean before storage in a grain bin, where forced air dries the crop.
- Fertility: 100-120lbs Nitrogen/acre.
- Processing: Cold-pressing seed; de-hulling; toasting.
- Processed Product: Hemp hearts, toasted seed, hemp protein/flour, hemp oil.
- Additional Information: Some cultivars may also be harvested for fiber after combining.
Below is a graph of certified grain varieties in Canada, pollinated:
http://www.hemptrade.ca/eguide/