Cleaning Up Soil with Hemp: Phytoremediation

Trish — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 20:28:00 +0000

There is a prevailing degradation of soil that has been taking place in America, and across the world, for decades. It has become a widespread devastation specifically in the United States as the desire to drive profits has superseded proper care for fields and attention to soil health. Farmers have been dousing industrial crops in chemical pesticides and herbicides while also eliminating the practice of fallow periods. This has led to a severe decline in topsoil levels, as well as a stripping of nutrients from the earth. The United Nations has acknowledged it as one of the major threats to human health in the coming years (4).

Absorbing Toxins: Understanding Phytoremediation

Hemp could be the answer to the problem of failing soil health. A dense crop with full leaves and sturdy stalks, hemp plants have a relatively high capacity for absorption. Phytoremediation is the term used to describe the act of extracting toxins from the soil using the fast-growing roots of the cannabis plant.

This process was officially discovered and named by Ilya Raskin in the 1990s when he and his team used hemp to clean up the soil around Chernobyl (2). Through this process, toxins are absorbed into the roots of the plants and transformed into a harmless substance (1). Raskin and his team were able to extract radioactive strontium and cesium from the Ukranian soil.

The extraction capabilities were later confirmed by a team of German researchers who successfully decontaminated a field that had been polluted with lead, cadmium, and nickel by an overflow of sewage sludge (2). Now, Italian farmers in Taranto, Italy are turning to hemp to decontaminate their soil after a decade of tainted pastures caused by steel plant runoff had eliminated the space for the grazing of their livestock.

Lifting The Hemp Ban: 2018 Farm Bill

It is clear that hemp holds great potential to mitigate some of the damage done to topsoil in the US, but until the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, the agricultural community was at a standstill on this front. Colorado has led the charge for industrial hemp in many ways, one of which was the first comprehensive study of the cleansing capabilities of hemp on soil. Dr. Elizabeth Pilon-Smits had long been interested in and aware of the phytoremediative capabilities of hemp, but it wasn’t until 2014 that some of the red tape cleared and research surrounding the benefits of hemp crops was encouraged.

Still unable to secure funding for her studies on hemp, it wasn’t until 2017 that Pilon-Smits was approached by Colorado Cultivars with the perfect opportunity to delve into funded research (2). Over the last decade, other states have granted access to researchers via universities to explore the benefits of industrial hemp, and these findings are finally able to be set into motion in many regions across the US as bans are lifted and the growth of industrial hemp is allowed.

Beyond the Farm: Hemp In The City

Another untapped area where hemp could be widely beneficial is in the restoration of brownfields in urban areas across the nation. According to the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) and the Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMW), there are more than one million brownfields nationwide. Not only are these vacant lots eyesores with hardpacked dirt made up of debris and strewn with weeds, but they are also lost opportunities to utilize land and benefit communities.

Cleansing the soil with hemp plants can rejuvenate the soil on these plots of land to make building easier and urban farming possible where it previously was not (3). Producing localized food for urban communities will help support the ever-expanding population of cities around the US, as well as contribute to cleaner air.

It is important to note that while hemp can clean up soil and groundwater better than most other plants, unmonitored consumption and production of these same crops could pose harm to the user (5). There should be a mindful separation of the crops used for phytoremediation and those processed for consumption to ethically maintain the highest level of health and quality.

Moving Forward With Hemp

With the burgeoning use of industrial hemp to clean up soil worldwide, it can also be used on personal land to stimulate individual agricultural aspirations. Click here to find out more about hemp growing laws in states across the US.

Sources:

The post Cleaning Up Soil with Hemp: Phytoremediation appeared first on iHEMPx.

Hemp: Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Profit

ihempx admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:26:54 +0000

“There is no better time to get into hemp than today”
-Mike Leago, CEO iHEMPx

The legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill has changed the farming landscape. Stories of farmers making $50,000+ an acre are becoming more and more common as the rush to capitalize on hemp and its by-products grow throughout the United States. To fully understand the profitability, timing, and effects of this crop, let’s start by examining how the 2018 Farm Bill changed the legal landscape for hemp.

2018 Farm Bill and State to State Adoption

On December 20, 2018 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, or 2018 Farm Bill, was signed into law legalizing hemp and its by-products(1). This has opened the doors for hemp farming, investment, and the growth of the support network surrounding the industry. It will take time to see the full effects, but the basic necessities such as banking, insurance, and protections for interstate commerce now have the legal opportunity to grow with the industry.

While hemp and its byproducts are legal on a federal level, state to state legalities still remain. For the states which have been early adopters through pilot programs or similar, they are now experiencing soaring profitability and high demand for seed. States that are paving the way include Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Profitability

Hemp profitability currently depends on two main factors:

Type of hemp being grown
Reliable paths to market

Since the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill, there are cases of farmers growing CBD for over $200,000 per acre through the sale of raw biomass without having to follow the product downstream. While those figures are on the high-end, current markets are still seeing per-acre profits of $50,000+ for CBD. Compare this to farmers accustomed to making less than $1000 an acre for normal crops and it is clear just how profitable hemp can be.

On the fiber, food, and building materials side, hemp is still profitable but returns are more aligned with normal agricultural operations. In the current market, growing CBD hemp is king as long as farmers can find a path to market.

The Future Of Hemp Profitability

Will the current trends in profitability last for a decade? Five years? Mike Leago of iHEMPx believes prices will fall within a few years. As quoted, the best time to capitalize on hemp is right now. As the global market picks up in production output and overall quality, profitability will drop significantly. However, this does not mean it is too late to get started in hemp farming.

iHEMPx stands ready to serve as a supply chain partner for farmers looking to break into hemp. From seed to market, iHEMPX offers a full range of services and information to help farmers capitalize on this highly profitable crop.

Get Started With Hemp Today!

The post Hemp: Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Profit appeared first on iHEMPx.

Why Farm Hemp? – iHEMPx