Nanneella hemp grower Dan Walker will share his experiences at the Victorian Hemp Association Field Day on Sunday.
Just one hectare of Dan Walker’s 4.5ha hemp crop is enough to build a standard super-insulated hemp home, and the Victorian Hemp Association is encouraging farmers to help them ‘grow a better future’ and better houses.
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To assist with this, the VHA has organised a field day on Sunday, February 9 at Nanneella, south-east of Echuca.
A number of hemp industry experts will cover everything from licensing and growing, through to harvesting and potential markets.
The day will also include a walk through Dan Walker’s hemp crop.
Mr Walker has been trialling and learning a lot about hemp over the past three seasons on his father-in-law’s property at Nanneella.
“The Nanneella free-draining sandy loams are perfectly suited to growing hemp,” he said.
Mr Walker suggests that anyone serious about growing hemp should start with smaller trial crops to gain a better understanding of the plant.
An industry mantra is, in the first year — only grow what you can afford to lose. While there have been a number of very successful first time hemp growers there have also been many varying degrees of failure or ‘learning experiences’, as Mr Walker puts it.
David Brian, hemp builder and VHA vice-president (left), and Dan Walker, Nanneella hemp grower and VHA treasurer.
Hemp builder and Victorian Hemp Association vice-president David Brian took a break from his current project in the Kiewa Valley to inspect the progress of Mr Walker’s crop.
Having grown up in the Nanneella region, Mr Brian has always seen the enormous potential hemp has as a summer crop in northern Victoria with its rich soil, good climate and irrigation.
“It’s great that a number of serious players are now entering the hemp industry,” he said.
“Once we have first stage processors fully operational, then the market can really expand very quickly knowing there will be a consistent supply of quality product.”
Mr Brian said while the woody core of the hemp plant, the hurd, had established and expanding markets in construction and animal bedding, it’s the fibre that has the biggest worldwide potential, particularly in industrial uses as a stronger and more sustainable material over synthetic fibres.
He said one ‘serious player’ was Pyramid Hill Hemp. They are the largest grower of hemp in Victoria this season, with more than 100ha planted.
Pyramid Hill Hemp is in the process of establishing a hemp decorticating mill (separating the fibre from the hurd) in the former pet food factory in Pyramid Hill.
They are seeking farmers in northern Victoria to supply the mill and a representative will speak at the VHA field day.
The VHA Hemp Field Day will be held from 10am to 2.30pm at the Nanneella Hall on Sunday, February 9.
