San Luis Valley Hemp Project-2014
We are utilizing our new space near Alamosa to help propel the Local Hemp Economy by working under registration with the state of Colorado to grow and harvest some industrial hemp.
As this progresses, we'll have some additional information posted here.
In the meantime, here is an excerpt, and a link, to our Crowd-sourced Funding IndieGoGo campaign:
http://igg.me/at/SLVHemp
Grow HEMP in Colorado’s San Luis Valley
Growing to Harvest Industrial Hemp
Ever since Colorado, and now the Federal Government via the 2014 Farm Bill, enacted laws to allow the legal cultivation of Industrial Hemp, we have been working on a way to contribute our energies to getting the new Hemp Economy rolling.
With your help, We Will Grow Industrial Hemp This Year!
What we hope to do:
- We’re going to install a large 2800 square foot unheated hoop house that will allow us to trial two varieties of hemp that should do well in Colorado. A seed variety from Finland will be the majority of the planting, and a fiber variety from northern Italy will complete the trials. We are planning to grow in the semi-protected space of the hoop house for 2 reasons: it will allow us to control several environmental variables, including wind, humidity, and temperature, and it will extend the growing season later into the fall to allow us the best chance for both varieties to reach full maturity. This initial trial will teach us volumes about the culture of both plants, and hopefully also greatly expand our amount of viable seed so that next year we will be able to do larger outdoor field trials. We are also looking to register with the state as a hemp processor for the fall, so that we can do more, legally, with the end product.
- What success this year will mean to the future of industrial hemp cannot be overstated. It has been more than 50 years in this country since farmers have been able to grow hemp. During that time, and with the help of DEA policies, much has been lost, both in terms of knowledge and experience, as well as genetic material. Kentucky hemp was once world famous as an exemplary fiber strain, and is now suspected to be extinct. We need to start to rebuild this industry and this gene base for industrial hemp to have a chance in the US. It’s potential for impacting everything about our lives is huge- from our food to everyday consumer products to the health of the soils and our planet. WE NEED TO ACTUALIZE THAT POTENTIAL! And this project is one step in that direction.
We are Ready to get started building a better, hemp powered future. Can you join us?!
Here’s the details:
- We have already sourced both types of seed, the Finnish oil-seed strain and the Italian fiber strain, we just need to get that seed delivered. It’s about 2 kilograms of seed from a couple different international sources, and costs about $200 to get it here.
- We will need that large hoop-house/poly-tunnel mentioned above. That is pretty easy, as it is commonplace technology and readily available, we just need to get it ordered and installed: $8000
- We need to install a well and solar pump to keep everything adequately watered. Well depth in the area is less than 100 feet, and possibly much less (lots of local artesian springs) and our design is simple and relies mostly on gravity for water distribution once the water is pumped up and stored at the surface in a 1600 gallon cistern: $6700
- And we will need a couple of specialized tools- a precision seed planter, and several pairs of harvesting shears, as we’ll be doing this all by hand: $300
**The state may or may not decide to come and inspect our crop and test it for psychoactive compounds, which won’t be an issue as the varieties we've selected are all listed for use in the EU, which means they already contain less than the 0.3%THC levels the sate of Colorado is looking for. However, if they do decide to come visit, we will be responsible for covering that cost. Which means any extra money raised will be set aside for that possibility.*****
- In Exchange for your support, we have lots of exciting perks for you:
- If you are in Colorado, you can actually get some viable hemp seed, provided all goes well, for your own garden hemp project. (The law prevents this distribution of seed across state borders, sorry.)
- No matter where you are, we will be able to send you some processed hemp goodies, including that excellent mulch.
- We also have a lot of exciting hemp themed thank you gifts, from the handy bumper sticker and t-shirts to tote bags, all available because someone in a faraway land grew some hemp, but you’re helping to change that.
- No matter what happens with this fund-raiser, we are committed to the project. This is Plan B or C already (we've been thinking about this for a while after all) but we have also worked out plan G or H. If we don’t reach the goal, we’ll simply prioritize or down-scale –> Maybe a smaller hoop house …… Maybe we’ll haul water… Either way, we’re going to plant and grow some hemp this year.
We are really excited about this opportunity to include you in our project. Your help, either by donation or by spreading our campaign, will really help to make a world of difference.
“The issue is simple: farmers need hemp, the soil needs hemp, forests need hemp, and humanity needs the plant that the good Lord gave us for our own survival—hemp. The benefits are too many to name, but if hemp was a crop that could be monopolized by industrial Ag corporations it would already be legal. “—Willie Nelson, songwriter, president of Farm Aid
- We are doing practical, hands-on research into discovering how best to grow, and ultimately to process industrial hemp here in Colorado, in the high desert bio-region of the San Luis Valley. This will help others as the hemp economy expands over the next several years to include the rest of the US.
- One of the defining features of industrial hemp is its relation to the local and regional economy of where it is grown. Because processed hemp, especially the fiber varieties, are so bulky yet lightweight, it is not practical to transport as a raw material. This means that growing hemp also grows local economies. As Willie Nelson points out, this is a crop that cannot be monopolized by Big Ag corporations, so that means it will help to fuel a future filled with the kind of small businesses that power local economies.
Together we can do this, and you can help by Supporting This Program Today.
Other Ways You Can Help
All Contributions are valuable, but even if you can’t give monetarily, you can still help us do this vital and important work this year.
- Please tell everyone you know about the many benefits of Hemp mentioned above. It may turn out that someone who hasn't ever heard of Hemp before learns something new and somehow contributes to bettering the future for all of us.
- Please let others know of our campaign. We both need and can use mountains of support to make this project successful.
- Like us on Facebook, Tweet this to your peeps, Email everyone you think might be interested.
Let’s Meet this funding goal together, so we can all work together to make the Hemp Future a reality!
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