County interested in 'Cinderella crop '

With the economy in a downturn and an agricultural state of emergency declared at the onset of the winter, the County of Barrhead is looking to alternative crops for sources of revenue and deputy reeve Bill Lee says he thinks he has found one.

Lee attended a Brazeau County-hosted hemp convention Jan. 17 at the MacKenzie Conference Centre in Drayton Valley and said the informative meeting entitled ‘Harvesting Hemp’ focused primarily on industrial applications.

“Industrial hemp is used in a variety of products, from automobile parts to biodegradable plastics, erosion control, textiles, cosmetics and lots of other things,” Lee said, adding if regulations surrounding the plant continue to soften it could be a boon for the province.

Although it is a member of the cannabis sativa family, the hemp plant contains lower concentrations of a psychoactive component called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is prevalent in marijuana, and contains higher amounts of another chemical compound, cannabidiol (CBD).

CBDs have broader medical applications.

“I’m pretty excited about the prospects of this industry for Barrhead in particular,” Lee said. “It [hemp] enjoys longer days and cooler temperatures, which is ideal due to our climate, and once mature, it can handle substantial amounts of frost and not be hurt. The seeds, too, can handle being frozen and still have germination in them. It’s a big plus for us where we are situated.”

Virtually no pests are associated with the plant.

“There isn’t any fungus that grows on it nor insects from this area that feed off it.”

Lee said any current combine model can harvest hemp seed with very little modifications.

“Looking at our county’s agricultural industry, if there’s a crop that can put money back into our farmer’s pockets then I say let’s do it. If the Americans aren’t going to take advantage of this industry, the better it is for us. We live in a climate that is condusive to growing this plant and I think it could be added to our crop rotations.”

Lee said one of the reasons he is interested is due to the multitude of fibres produced by hemp plants.

“Long or short fibres can be used in clothing or other manufacturing,” he said, adding it has applications to virtually any product currently made with fiberglass.

“Fibreglass is terrible stuff and things made with hemp fibres instead would be infinitely lighter, more durable.”

Even better, Lee said hemp is better for the environment.

“It is five times more efficient at sequestering carbon from the air than trees are,” he added.

Lee said the county would continue to look into the matter.

“The more I heard about this industry, the bigger my grin got. It has been illegal for a long, long time but with prime minister Trudeau’s desire to legalize marijuana, it seems we may be on the cusp of a change and it would be foolish to not capitalize on an opportunity such as this.”