Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Grand Junction, Colo.
Marijuana is growing in Mesa County, but it won't get you high.
"We were saving the ranch. It wasn't selling and we had to come up with a way to cover expenses," said Margaret Richardson, a co-owner at Salt Creek Hemp Company.
After consideration of what to grow, one plant stood above the rest.
"With corn, I think they're talking $300 an acre. This crop [hemp] and with the new emerging market, it's hard to pinpoint an exact price on what we'd get per acre, but let's just say it could easily be ten times to 100 times that," said Aaron Rydell, another co-owner.
It's for that reason, along with the multitude of the plant's uses, that those at Salt Creek Hemp Company believe it will not only save their ranch, but Mesa County's agricultural industry.
"There are no psychoactive properties whatsoever with hemp. Marijuana is great and all, but it's really just got that one use. You're looking at 30,000-40,000 uses [with hemp]," said Rydell.
Mesa County made the distinction in 2013 - less than a third of a percentage of THC. But the federal government still hasn't made the distinction, although hemp is already in dozens of products.
"You can walk down any health food store or your grocery store right now and find hemp seed, hemp seed oil, hemp as an ingredient and we're importing all of that from Canada," said Richardson.
It's already in our food, but according to Rydell it could be used in our everyday life.
"You're looking at four acres of trees to produce the same amount of paper as one acre of hemp. One of the most cosmic processes of making paper is actually bleaching the wood white. Hemp pulp is already white so we've removed that process," said Rydell.
Paper aside, it's also found in fiber glass replacements, bio fuels, clothing and plastics that are biodegradable.
The farm's current crop was planted in June, so at this point the crop is halfway through its grow cycle. When the plants are harvested, they could be 12 feet tall.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Western Slope's New Cash Crop - Hemp
Author: Staff
Contact: 970-242-5000
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Western Slope Now
Marijuana is growing in Mesa County, but it won't get you high.
"We were saving the ranch. It wasn't selling and we had to come up with a way to cover expenses," said Margaret Richardson, a co-owner at Salt Creek Hemp Company.
After consideration of what to grow, one plant stood above the rest.
"With corn, I think they're talking $300 an acre. This crop [hemp] and with the new emerging market, it's hard to pinpoint an exact price on what we'd get per acre, but let's just say it could easily be ten times to 100 times that," said Aaron Rydell, another co-owner.
It's for that reason, along with the multitude of the plant's uses, that those at Salt Creek Hemp Company believe it will not only save their ranch, but Mesa County's agricultural industry.
"There are no psychoactive properties whatsoever with hemp. Marijuana is great and all, but it's really just got that one use. You're looking at 30,000-40,000 uses [with hemp]," said Rydell.
Mesa County made the distinction in 2013 - less than a third of a percentage of THC. But the federal government still hasn't made the distinction, although hemp is already in dozens of products.
"You can walk down any health food store or your grocery store right now and find hemp seed, hemp seed oil, hemp as an ingredient and we're importing all of that from Canada," said Richardson.
It's already in our food, but according to Rydell it could be used in our everyday life.
"You're looking at four acres of trees to produce the same amount of paper as one acre of hemp. One of the most cosmic processes of making paper is actually bleaching the wood white. Hemp pulp is already white so we've removed that process," said Rydell.
Paper aside, it's also found in fiber glass replacements, bio fuels, clothing and plastics that are biodegradable.
The farm's current crop was planted in June, so at this point the crop is halfway through its grow cycle. When the plants are harvested, they could be 12 feet tall.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Western Slope's New Cash Crop - Hemp
Author: Staff
Contact: 970-242-5000
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Western Slope Now
