Hi-Line Living: Hemp is growing on the Hi-Line

In Montana, agriculture is not only an industry but a way of life, and some farmers are seeing the reintroduction of hemp as an opportunity to give new life to the family farm.

"You stop at the Town Pump and you talk to the local farmers, and all of them say the same things, something's gotta change or their going to go out of business, because they are just scraping by," Harlem-area producer Rob Klingaman said.

Hemp is also known as cannabis, which is also a term for marijuana. The only difference between indjustrial hemp and marijuana is how much tetrahydrocannabinol - THC - the plant produces. THC is the chemical in marijuana that produces a high.

Hemp can produce cannabidiol - CBD - which is considered a natural remedy for many ailments by some. Hemp also can produce high-quality oil and fiber, which both have many uses.

For decades, growing hemp was restricted or completely illegal.

An article on the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit public policy organization Brookings Institution website says federal law did not differentiate hemp from other cannabis plants, all of which were effectively made illegal in 1937 under the Marihuana Tax Act and formally made illegal in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Act that banned cannabis of any kind.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 - the 2014 Farm Bill - legalized the growing and cultivating of industrial hemp for research purposes in states where such growth and cultivation is legal under state law, although existing federal law would otherwise have criminalized it.

In 2016, the federal government issued a statement of principles on raising industrial hemp, and in 2017, the Montana Legislature approved a pilot program in which Montana producers could grow hemp as an alternative crop. About 17 other states allowed industrial hemp production before 2018.

Then, the 2018 Farm Bill legalized regulated production of hemp.

Local farmers, like Klingaman and Harlem-area producer Katon Gerky started raising hemp last year in the pilot program, and are two producers who have joined the newly formed Montana Hemp Cooperative.

Chuck Holman, owner of Earth In Hand: Soil Health Services, spearheaded the creation of the cooperative this year to raise - and take advantage of - growing interest in the crop.

The Montana Hemp Cooperative, although centered in Blaine County, is open for the entire state to utilize, Holman said. He added that Montana, has a large amount of acreage of hemp but has a low number of processing facilities for producers to contract with. In the past years, with the pilot program, several processing facilities established contracts but were unable to fulfill these contracts due to a variety of reasons and many producers were left hanging.

He said that with the co-op, they will be able to "build something for the community by the community." 

The co-op is a way for farmers to come together, collect better contracts as well as process their own crop to be sold at a better price, he said. The focus of the cooperative will be to process fiber and grains as well as secure contracts from across the country to sell the product. 

"This is going to help growers come together as a group, as a cooperative, tearing money farmers can make off the product," Holman said.

See more about Montana Hemp Co-Op on the front page of today's edition of the Havre Daily News and in upcoming editions.

A variety of uses

Hemp is a versatile crop and can be used for a variety of purposes depending on how the plant is grown, Gerky said. The flowers of the female plant produce CBD and other essential oils, which can be used for CBD oil, bug spray and lotions. From the seeds - or grains - people can also get oils and other nutrients, which can be used to make protein powders, cooking oils and food supplements. The stock of the plants can be used for its fiber, making rope, clothing, paper, carpeting and tarps.

The crop can also be used to create biofuel and bio-plastics, as well, he added. He said that although farmers can be growing for either CBD or the grains they are still able to get a second harvest off the plant for the fibers.

Klingaman said although there are many benefits to CBD oils for animals and people, because of the newness of the crop in the marketplace, there is not much research or many medical studies fully explaining the effects of CBD.

Several studies show CBD can be used to treat childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which don't respond to anti-seizure medications. It has also shown to be useful to treat seizures, anxiety, insomnia, arthritis, chronic pain and inflammation.

But some studies show some drawbacks to using CBD for medication. An article from Harvard Health Publishing says that some of the side effects from CBD can be nausea, fatigue and irritability, adding that it is not a cure-all for cancer.

Getting into the industrial hemp business

Though Klingaman and Gerky became interested in hemp production through different means, both agreed hemp could help family farms.

Klingaman is growing hemp in a greenhouse to produce fiber and cannabidiol. He said he first became interested in growing the crop while attending pre-medical school at Montana State University in Bozeman. His junior year of college, he joined a group that traveled to Sowa Rigpa Hospital in Zanskar, India. There he worked beside Western doctors and nurses in addition to India's traditional doctors and Chinese acupuncturists. 

He said he remembers seeing that many of the patients who came to the hospital had ailments the Western doctors couldn't solve, but the traditional doctors and acupuncturists could.

"I didn't believe in the stuff until I saw it in action," he said.

A large number of the locals also suffered from overdoses of modern medicine, he said, because they didn't understand dosage and were taking more than what was prescribed. He said this was not something which occurred with the traditional doctors, because the traditional doctors were using herbal remedies.

"It turned me on to more naturopathic medicine," he said.

  When he returned to MSU for his senior year he started working on a research paper about the degeneration of the nervous system, he said, which led him to some studies done in Israel regarding how THC and CBD could be used to stop neurodegeneration. 

Back home in Chinook, he said, his family told him that, although the farm was doing well the past few growing seasons, they were going to have to do something different soon or they were going to go out of business. He then proposed growing hemp on the farm.

He added that farmers are also people who often have four to six children to take care of and feed.

"We are trying to bring back the small farmers," he said.

Gerky, a dry land farmer, said that he and his family understand the market, seeing first-hand that family farms are struggling. He said he first became interested in growing hemp after seeing it in the news in 2016, before the pilot program was approved. From there he began researching the crop and saw the potential for the industry. 

After reading and researching he was unable to get in on the first year of the pilot program. He was able to get into the program the second year, growing 11 acres of hemp in 2017 on the family farm, he said. He added that he remembers the hearings during the legislative sessions and knew it would take time for hemp production to get off the ground, but he wanted to get into it early.

"The earlier you're in something like this the more embedded you are by the time things really start to hit," he said. "... I think it's going to be bigger."

He has realized growing the crop has a learning curve, he said, having to figure out what works best for his crops. He added that he constantly has to look for new and better ways to improve their growth, but in the end he is confident it will be a positive experience.

"Outside of the time investment, I don't feel like it's been a sacrifice at all," he said.

Learning how to grow the crop

Klingaman and Gerky are continuing to experiment with their crops to see how they can get the best product. 

Klingaman said that one of the differences hemp has from many other crops is hemp's growth is temperamental. He added that one problem he encountered last year was when he was attempting to transport the his first 40 seedlings from his garage to his greenhouse - all of the plants died after being exposed to the elements for brief time.

Hemp may grow like a weed, but it needs the proper conditions and water in order for it to grow well, he said. He added that after losing his first batch of crop he did get nervous, but tried again, making a few adjustments, and, he said, it yielded great results. 

That first year he also did not sell any of his crop, he said, but used it for test subjects to see how he could get the best growth. This year, however, he has already secured a number of contracts as well as processing his own CBD for production.

"I'm excited, mainly because Montana, since we are (one of the first states to allow growing it), the Montana Legislature has been super open and helping to all farmers who are trying to do this," he said.

He added that other producers are very open about sharing information about how they can improve their crops, telling each other what works and what does not work.

Klingaman said that he starts his seeds in milk cartons, which were donated from the Harlem school system.

Once the plants outgrow the milk carton they are transplanted from the carton to a pot made from recycled tires. He said about 10 days after they are transplanted, the crop hits rapid growth, of which time he then cuts the top off of each plant. 

Klingaman said that by doing this he is able to get two sprouts from each plant - by getting two they develop more of a bush which can be pruned and formed into the type of plant he wants. If he did not trim the tops off his plants they would develop a single large bud or flower on the top. 

Another determining factor is the plants have two different sexes, a male and female, he said. The males have thinner leaves and are generally taller plants which develop pollen balls and the females have wider leaves and produce the bud and the flower. 

For CBD production he only wants the female plants, he said. The male plants could possibly pollinate the female and cause the plant to produce seeds - also called grains. 

Grains are used for cooking and other essential oils but are not good for CBD production. The grains are rich in protein and other nutrients, which some producers, such as Gerky, are producing. 

Klingaman added that the male hemp plants can even pollinate the female plant from as far as 10 miles away, so it is important to destroy and dispose of the male plants at an early stage and make sure other producers are not contaminating the crop.

He said the plants may also help remove chemicals and fertilizers left from previous farming, although the hemp plant also takes a lot of nitrogen and would require regular crop rotation.

He added that the soil is not better off because of the hemp plant but it, more or less, helps the soil even out.

Holman, of Montana Hemp Co-Op, said that having healthy soil produces healthy plants. Healthy plants help build healthy soil, as long as there are good microbes. 

"Work with Mother Nature, not against it," he said.

He added that hemp plants don't need pesticides. Insects such as caterpillars will not cause any major damage and the stress will help the crop produce more essential oils. 

Problems in figuring regulations

According to federal regulation there are also four different categories of hemp plants - A, B, C and D. D class is marijuana and is illegal federally and in most states.

But states which have recreationally legalized marijuana have to abide by separate rules and laws than what is outlined in the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill says that hemp must consist of .3 percent or less THC and any with higher levels would have to be destroyed.

Gerky said that although it is federally illegal to have higher THC in the United States other countries do allow a higher amount of THC in industrial hemp. This produces a finer fiber which can be used in a wider variety of fabrics.

He added that states which have recreationally legalized marijuana cannot sell their seeds or transport them through certain areas because of the higher THC level, however, some states have been able to breed specific plants to meet federal regulation, which they are able to sell.

He said the recent passage of the Farm Bill has created some confusion between federal agencies and between states.

This confusion has also impacted many hemp farmers because farmers could not obtain seeds - confusion arose over whether bringing in hemp seeds still was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency or U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA clarified in mid-April that the issue was under its jurisdiction, and hemp seeds could be imported. But that caused many farmers to plant the crop a month-and-a-half later than planned.

Gerky said USDA was unprepared for the surge in hemp production and did not have the policies and the regulations outlined to allow the process to run smoothly. 

"There is so much uses of the plant," he said, adding that the pilot program was only a test, and once everything is cleared up between federal levels it's going to boom.

He added that the confusion between state and federal regulations is also causing an issue within the industry. Many states, because of local laws, do not allow the transportation of hemp unless it is processed. This causes many issues, he said. Montana was one of the largest producers of hemp during the pilot program but producers were unable to sell the crop because no processing facility existed in the state. 

The USDA published a Legal Opinion on Authorities for Hemp Production May 28, which says it is not federally illegal to transport hemp through states. Hemp is no longer classified as a "schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and is no longer a controlled substance," as designated by the DEA. It adds, "States and Indian tribes may not prohibit the interstate transportation or shipment of hemp lawfully produced under a State or Tribal plan or under a license issued under the USDA plan. States and Indian tribes also may not prohibit the interstate transportation or shipment of hemp lawfully produced under the 2014 Farm Bill."

Classification of hemp

Klingaman said that A class has been certified through government agencies in the U.S. or Canada and has tested less than .3 percent THC for eight generations of the plant. 

Gerky said that this is done through specific breeding that has a higher cost than its B and C class counterparts. He added that although the plant does test .3 percent THC or lower, if a producer was to breed the seeds of the plant it could, in a several generations, test with higher THC content.

Companies producing A class seeds do not allow them to be re-bred by the farmers who buy them.

Klingaman said that because producers of A class seeds, register and disclose where the seeds will be planted, and the amount, the federal government requires no additional testing.

B class was accepted in pilot programs last year, but is not officially certified, he said, and does require some testing. C class is generally recognized as hemp but requires a lot of testing and oversight to ensure the producer is not growing marijuana.

He added that his crop has all B and C classes within the greenhouse and he is planting a crop he of A class seeds in a larger acreage area. 

With his C class crop he has to submit it to the state for testing at least once a year, and the state will also send someone for random testing throughout the year, he said. He added that he also does his own testing twice a month to assure the THC levels are correct, as well as the soil health and nutrients.

Some seeds that are not A class an be recultivated if the producer received breeders rights, similar to other crops like wheat. This allows the producers to use their own seeds but does require additional testing.

Gerky said that on his dry land farm, all of his crop is from A class seeds. He added that his expectations for his crop this season are high, projecting approximately 600 pounds per acre but at worst it will be a wash, the money made off of his crop being exactly what he paid into it.

"It's one of those things that it's a market that right now is just coming to life," he said, adding that he will continue to make adjustments to get a higher yield.

"Things are just going to keep getting bigger and better, but you have to be there. You have to be on the ground level, you got to have boots on the field to see what's going on," he said. "Waiting to get in on an industry like this, then you're selling yourself short."