Hemp has become much more popular in recent years. With the 2018 Farm Bill, this has once again become a big-time crop with increased demand across the entire nation. Many people think nowadays it’s only used for CBD and its benefits. But that’s not true. There are so many other uses for the plant which begs the question, what is hemp used for?
Utilizing The Entire Hemp Plant:
There are really three main parts of the hemp plant, and each of these has its own unique uses. Let’s start with the seeds.
Seeds:
The makeup of hemp seeds includes vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, all of which have various benefits.
Omega fatty acids have been shown to boost your immunity as well as help to control cholesterol. Vitamins B and E, and minerals like sodium, calcium, iron, sulfur, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc are all also found in the seeds. They also contain gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which in some cases has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The seeds are also used for other food alternatives as well. Hemp seed milk has become a popular dairy alternative. And the same goes for hemp seed flour, which is gluten-free and can be used in place of regular flour.
And on top of all of that, hemp seed oil when it is extracted from the seeds themselves can help with various skin conditions. Hemp seed oil has little to no CBD content.
When harvesting seeds, planting in mid-May to mid-June and ready for harvest 100-120 days later. These plants only reach about 5-7 feet tall.
Stalks:
The stalks of the plant are probably one of the toughest parts of the plant. It’s the fibers of these stalks, also referred to as bast, that are used in creating textiles.
The durable fibers have been used for clothing, bags, shoes, eyewear, belts and so much more, and it’s been a part of the textile industry for years because of its durability. It is often much longer-lasting compared to cotton.
Stalks also are relatively resistant to rot as well, making it useful for so much more such as papers and plastics even. And all of the products made using fiber are biodegradable as well.
When growing hemp for fiber, you are looking to get the best stalks possible. That means you want to allow it to grow to heights of 10-18 feet. The best practice is to plant in May or June and harvest 45-70 days later.
Leaves And Flowers:
The leaves and flowers are the part of the plant that the oils come from. There are more than 80 different compounds found in hemp flowers and leaves. One of those compounds is cannabidiol (CBD).
This is what we specialize in here at Horn Creek Hemp Farm. The flowers and leaves are utilized for the CBD content. We have raw hemp products and create our very own CBD oil, salves, pre-rolls, teas, and tinctures. All of which are utilized for their various health remedies that we have come to understand and embrace.
And for CBD purposes, which is what we do at our farm, harvesting in late September to late October is ideal. Flower-heavy female plants are harvested by hand and hung to dry.
The hemp plant has so many different uses and benefits. It truly is such a versatile plant that we believe in. Our farm specializes in cultivating high-quality and organic hemp on our biodynamic farm. Putting an emphasis on working hand in hand with the environment while providing high-quality hemp and hemp products.
