Wow m8, nice article there.

Interesting that Hemp research can lead to general improvements in farming other plants in regards to heavy metals.

Hemp was supposed to be one thing that most people thought Obama would surely act on during his first year. Marijuana/Hemp was the number one voted-for topic for action on his "pre-inauguration" web site.

"...NOT!"

Instead, within a month of inauguration, we saw the US Federal D.E.A. attacks on the "Clubs" in California actually rise (... the clubs are fully legal under CA State Law).

And still no action on non-psychotropic Hemp, either.

Or medical grass..

Except that the District of Columbia has joined many states in now allowing it... So Senators of Congressmen could legally use it for their medical conditions now, but most Americans are still denied access.

It is estimated that since the laws in CA changed and the Clubs got established, several billion in sales and profits have been lost to the pharms in anti-depressant drug sales (...every one of them much more dangerous and harmful than "THC" ; many of them highly addictive too).

.... Could this be why they are doing these raids, busting up the places like mafia goons, ya think ?

Of course, those billions are nothing compared to what the pharms get from anti-Cancer drugs & treatments.

So as with nearly everything else in this bizarro country, "The beatings will continue until further notice".

Good job Ash.
I was involved in hemp work years ago (early 90's) and was part of the network in Canada which got the licenses opened up for farmers.
I worked as research director for SaskHemp, as a founding member.
This work led however to bankruptcy and so I left it behind.

Good to see that it has kept up.

Biggest thing you will need to do though is get a decorticator, preferably a steam-implosion style as without it any farming endeavor is pointless.
This has been the weak-link in Canada.
We grow lots of hemp here, but it sits in the field and rots due to a lack of this piece of equipment.

With it you get the best grade of fibre extraction and the lignin which has many industrial uses as adhesive base.

Hi Shawn/JIB/ALL i am sorry to hear that, well ill get some revenge we are open sourcing every thing on hemp this year and growing it.

The idea of a HEMP gasification unit blew me away, thank you for your information Shawn guys like you deserve a better run. The government should be subsidizing you guys, you take carbon out of the air hello....might incorporate that theme into our production.

Jib thanks adding to the website.

Ash

Great thread and info! I have been companion planting in my garden since 1998. I have never planted hemp, but it is now known that hemp has a protective effect on plants grown near it because the volatile substance it excretes inhibit the growth of certain pathogenic micro-organisms.