How is hemp fiber different from hemp grain?
Fiber is a stand of stalks. Grain is a seed crop. Heartland can buy both. Harvest and drying are not the same job.
How is hemp fiber different from hemp grain?
Fiber is a stand of stalks. Grain is a seed crop that has to flower and fill. Heartland can take grain off the top of a fiber crop, and it can buy both. HFGA says grain should reach a dryer within 3–4 hours and 8 percent moisture, and fiber is field-dried under 15 percent, then windrowed and baled.
Related reading
Related reading
What planting chemistry does hemp fiber need?Hemp grown for fiber needs organic chemistry at the seed and in the planting pass, when the stand of stalks is decided.
The plant you are paid for is the difference. Fiber wants a tall, even stand of stalks. Grain wants plants that flower and set seed. They can share a planting pass and then split at harvest. Heartland is also clear that organic grain is where they see the food premium, and that organic fiber does not currently get the same extra price. Fiber is still worth taking. It is just priced as industrial material.
The chemistry for each crop is Hemp fiber planting chemistry and Hemp grain planting chemistry.
Harvest
Grain first, if you are taking grain: the same header you would use for soybeans or wheat. The Hemp Fiber and Grain Association says the grain is sensitive. Get it to a local dryer within 3–4 hours and down to 8 percent moisture so it does not spoil. It can then sit in a regular bin. The buyer may tighten that.
Fiber is cut, left in the field to dry under 15 percent moisture, windrowed, and baled. HFGA has seen that cut done with a Kemper header or a sickle bar. Round or square, and the bale weight, come from the buyer.
Tall enough that a standard combine header struggles, which is why HFGA talks about higher headers for seed harvest and a Kemper or sickle bar for the stalk. This page will not invent a target height in feet. A short, gappy field is a fiber failure even if a few plants are tall.
Who takes it
Heartland buys both, which is the simple offtake: one partner for the stalk and the seed. HFGA introduces other vetted processors, under contract or on the spot market, and it says that network reaches growers across 11 states. Ask what genetics they have approved, how clean the grain must be, and when they will take delivery. Dockage and a late load can erase the margin.
Dirty grain is a dockage problem: weed seed and debris are what buyers charge you for. Agree the moisture, the cleanup, and the delivery day before harvest, not after the truck is loaded.
FAQ
Quick answers about this part of the approach.
Who buys each crop?
Heartland buys both. HFGA also introduces other processors, and it says that network reaches growers across 11 states.
Does organic grain pay more than organic fiber?
Heartland says organic grain is where they see the food premium, and that organic fiber does not currently get the same extra price.
How do I harvest grain?
With the header you would use for soybeans or wheat. Get it to a dryer within 3–4 hours and down to 8 percent moisture, then a regular bin.
How do I harvest fiber?
Cut it, dry it in the field under 15 percent moisture, windrow it, and bale it. HFGA has seen that cut done with a Kemper header or a sickle bar.
How tall should fiber get?
Tall enough that a standard combine header struggles. This page will not invent a target height in feet. The stand should be even.