New Hemp crop trialled in Warwickshire
Dual Use Hemp crop trials are taking place in Long Compton in South Warwickshire. The trial will be drilled with a Cross-Slot No Tillage drill, a means of crop establishment that has not been trialled elsewhere. Dual Use Hemp is a new crop with expanding markets being established for both seed and fibre.
The trial is anticipated to investigate, or achieve the following: " Hemp grows best on light soils, however much of the arable land in Warwickshire is clay based. The suitability for the crop to local conditions needs to be assessed. " If local farmers are interested the crop may be taken forward with the benefit of a local processing facility. " The results drilled with a Cross-Slot No Tillage drill will be compared to an area of the trial drilled with the benefit of conventional cultivations.
Paul & James Alexander who own the drill, which is one of only two machines in the country, will be demonstrating the advantages in terms of crop establishment. It could be repeated by way of replacing long established techniques for growing a wide range of conventional arable crops.
Paul said, "We have bought this machine, having recently returned from New Zealand, where they have been in use for a number of years, believing that this type of machine is the way forward for UK agriculture.
"In this demonstration we hope to show how the sowing of hemp seed and placement of fertilizer at optimum depth, using the unique features of this drill, with little surface disturbance, is both the best and lowest cost method of crop establishment."
Since no herbicide is currently effective, it is important to establish the crop with as little weed seed germination as possible.
Warwickshire Rural Hub founder member, James Walton, who owns the trial site, said, "I am very excited about this new trial and I am pleased that we have the means to show both the opportunity for this new crop and the Cross-Slot direct drill. Given the changes in the subsidy regime we must continue to look to new initiatives and Hemp seems to be a crop with huge opportunity now that this Dual-Use variety has come forward."
