How do I grow hemp for fiber and grain?

rechem supplies two things a hemp farmer has to have before the planter rolls: the seed, and the chemicals that go with it. The seed is for fiber or for grain. The chemicals are organic. They are plant immunotherapy, not a burn-down: a treatment on the seed, enrichment of the field before planting, and stabilization of the stand after it comes up.

The planting, harvest, and paperwork details in this note come from the Hemp Fiber and Grain Association and from Heartland. Where those sources give a number, it is their number, from their farms and their standards. rechem is not publishing a separate rate sheet on this page.

Heartland is the parent company, and it can buy both the fiber and the grain. The association introduces buyers and certified seed producers at no charge to the farmer. Line up that buyer before you plant. HFGA is plain about what happens when you do not: the crop can sit with nowhere to go.

Seed

The seed note is How do I get hemp seed?.

How do I get seed?

Order it from rechem. Say whether the field is for fiber, for grain, or for both, and name the buyer if you already have one. Some buyers will only take certain genetics. HFGA says to confirm that list with the offtake partner before the seed is on the truck.

HFGA also recommends certified seed, because it simplifies the approval process. US seed is certified by AOSCA. European seed is certified by OECD. Certified seed from a North American distributor is the path they tell new farmers to use. Overseas seed, in their account, is where poor germination, pests, and THC failures show up.

How far ahead should I order it?

Before the lot you want is gone, and before the planter is scheduled. Certified lots are finite. rechem would rather match seed to the field early than substitute a variety the buyer did not approve.

How much seed do I need for the acres I have?

It depends on the region and on the seed. HFGA's farming community has historically planted fiber in 7–10 inch rows at 40–50 pounds of seed to the acre. They also say to confirm the method with the offtake partner. That is a community record, not a rechem label rate. Ask rechem for the bag count for your acres and your lot.

How do I store seed until I plant?

Leave it in the bag it shipped in, cool and dry, separate from grain you intend to sell. Do not treat planting seed like a commodity pile. If a bag is torn or wet, tell rechem before it goes in the drill.

Can I keep seed from this year's crop for next year?

rechem's path is certified seed for the season you are planting. Farm-saved seed steps out of the AOSCA or OECD lot, and HFGA ties the easier compliance path to certified seed. If you want to save seed, that is a different program, and it is not the one this page describes.

Genetics

The genetics note is What hemp genetics can I plant?.

What genetics are available?

Fiber seed and grain seed. Heartland chooses fiber seed by latitude: a northern planting seed and a southern planting seed. HFGA talks about fiber, grain, and dual-purpose crops, and it says performance moves with climate and soil. rechem will name the lot when you order. This page does not invent a variety list.

How do I pick a fiber variety versus a grain variety?

Pick the harvest you are selling. Fiber is a stand of stalks. Grain is a seed crop that has to flower and fill. A dual-purpose field can give both: Heartland describes taking grain off the top of a fiber crop with a combine, the way a farmer takes wheat, and still having the stalk. The buyer has to want both. If the contract is grain only, or fiber only, plant for that contract.

How long a season does this variety need?

Long enough for your latitude. Heartland's split is northern and southern planting seed. HFGA says the right variety is a regional decision, which is why they want seed from a distributor who has seen it in North American fields. rechem will match the lot to where you farm. A season length that is not on the bag does not belong on this page.

How do I know a variety is legal where I farm?

Start with certified seed, and with the state or tribal hemp program. HFGA says industrial hemp is federally legal, and that state and county rules still apply. Their textile standard wants seed from the HFGA certified-variety register, or an AOSCA-certified equivalent, and it wants the seed-lot number kept. Planting that certified seed, and telling the state program, is also how HFGA says many states reduce or drop the CBD and THC tests.

Are there varieties that can do both fiber and grain?

Yes. HFGA treats dual-purpose as its own choice, next to fiber and next to grain. Heartland's own fields take grain off a fiber crop so the acre still produces food. Do it only when the buyer will take both, and when the variety was sold for that use.

Planting

The planting note is When and how do I plant hemp?.

When do I plant?

In the spring window for your region and for the seed in the bag. HFGA's spring planting guide is the field playbook they point farmers to. Heartland also talks about a winter-wheat double-crop window on ground that would otherwise sit. rechem will tell you which of those fits the lot you bought. A single calendar date for every state would be a guess.

What soil temperature am I waiting for?

The temperature the seed lot was sold for. It is not printed as one number on the HFGA pages this note uses, so this note will not invent one. If the corn drill is going into a cold, wet field, call rechem before hemp follows it in.

How deep, and how wide are the rows?

Wide enough for the drill you have, and shallow enough for a small seed. The only row width HFGA publishes from its own community is 7–10 inches for fiber, paired with that 40–50 pound seeding rate. Confirm both with rechem and with the buyer. Depth is part of that conversation, not a number this page is willing to fake.

Can I use the planter I already own?

Yes. HFGA says industrial hemp is planted with the grain drills farms already own. They like a low-tillage disc for the seedbed, and they allow a chisel plow or no-till if that is how you farm. You do not need a custom planter to start.

How do I get an even stand instead of a patchy one?

Certified seed, a seedbed that is not torn up, and chemistry on the seed before it is asked to emerge alone. That last piece is rechem's seed treatment: organic chemistry so the plant is prepared when it hits the row. HFGA's side of the same job is seed choice, field prep, and a planting density that matches the variety. Gaps in a fiber stand become thin bast. Gaps in a grain stand become missing heads.

Chemicals and inputs

The chemical note is What chemicals are allowed on hemp?.

What chemicals are allowed on hemp, and what are not?

Heartland's account is the short one: most pesticides and herbicides are not labeled for hemp. If it is not labeled for the crop, do not put it on the crop.

The HFGA US Hemp Textile Standard is stricter still for fiber that has to meet it. No crop-protection product without an EPA label for hemp, for the twelve months before harvest. No pre-harvest desiccants, including glyphosate. Total delta-9 THC at or under 0.3 percent on a dry-weight basis, from a sample drawn within 30 days before harvest.

rechem's chemicals are the other list. They are organic. They are not a herbicide program and not a rescue-spray calendar. They are a seed treatment, field enrichment before planting, and support for the stand after it is up. That is plant immunotherapy: help the crop, and leave the soil able to work. This page does not add a USDA or EPA registration the company has not stated.

Can I use the same herbicide program I use on corn or beans?

No. Those products are labeled for corn or beans. Hemp is a different crop, and an unlabeled product does not become allowed because it worked on the last rotation. HFGA's textile standard treats that as a failed lot, not a paperwork detail.

What fertilizer does hemp actually need?

Less nitrogen drama than the crops it often replaces. Heartland describes hemp as needing minimal nitrogen, which is one reason they talk about it for organic acres. HFGA points farmers at a fertilizer package, and it does not publish that package as a universal rate. rechem will talk about enrichment of the field before planting. A copied corn fertilizer bill is not a hemp plan.

What can I put on the seed before it goes in the ground?

rechem's seed treatment. It is organic chemistry on the seed, so the plant meets the row already prepared. That is the first chemical decision, and it is the one rechem is built to make. Anything else on the seed needs a reason that survives the "is it labeled for hemp?" test.

What do I do if spray drifts onto the field from next door?

Treat it as a contamination problem, not as a free pass. A product that is not allowed on hemp is still not allowed because it arrived on the wind. Tell the buyer and the state program what landed, and when. The HFGA textile standard looks back twelve months for unlabeled crop protection. A drifted desiccant can cost the lot.

The field

The field note is How do I prepare a field for hemp?.

What kind of ground is a good fit?

Ground you can get a stand on with the drill you own. Heartland adds hemp to rotations that are already corn, soy, alfalfa, or cotton. HFGA wants a seedbed from a low-tillage disc when you can, without tearing the field up. The association's agronomy note also describes fiber hemp as suited to soils around pH 6.0–7.0 and to seasons of roughly 70–140 days. Match the seed to that, instead of forcing one variety onto every acre.

How do I prepare the field before planting?

HFGA's recommendation is a low-tillage disc: a seedbed, without disturbing more soil than you need. Chisel plow and no-till are acceptable if that is the farm. rechem's pre-plant chemistry is field enrichment on top of that prep, not a reason to skip it.

Where does hemp fit in a rotation with corn, soy, or wheat?

As the crop that uses a different market and a lighter chemical load. Heartland's partners are corn, soy, alfalfa, and cotton farmers adding industrial hemp to the rotation. HFGA hears from the same kind of farm, where corn, soybean, wheat, and alfalfa margins have been thin. Hemp is the diversification, not a promise that it outbids those crops on every acre.

Heartland also describes the crop as using 95 percent less water than cotton and leaving the soil healthier. That is Heartland's claim for the way they grow Imperium. It is not a rechem trial result.

What condition is the soil in after I take the crop off?

Heartland's aim is a field that is healthier than it was, which is why they talk about soil regeneration and about rotating hemp with other crops. rechem's standard is the same idea from the chemical side: the products are organic and early, so the ground is not asked to recover from a broad kill. There is no carbon number and no microbe count on this page.

After it comes up

The stand note is What do I do after hemp comes up?.

What weeds matter most, and when?

The ones that fill a gap in the first weeks, before the stand shades the row. HFGA and Heartland both talk about hemp as a crop that can compete, and Heartland is explicit that most herbicides are not labeled for it. The practical window is establishment. A thin stand is a weed problem you already planted.

What pests and diseases should I watch for?

Heartland describes the crop as resilient to pests and disease, which is part of why the chemical load stays low. They do not publish a pest calendar on the pages this note uses, and neither does this page. Watch the stand. If something is taking it, the answer is not an automatic corn insecticide.

How do I keep the stand healthy without a mid-season rescue spray?

Put the help in early. rechem's post-plant chemicals are for stabilization and growth of the stand that is already up, still on the side of the plant. The seed treatment and the pre-plant enrichment are what make that stand even enough to shade itself. A rescue spray is the pattern the textile standard and the rechem program are both trying to stay out of.

What does a weak stand look like in the first few weeks?

Skips in the row, plants that are behind their neighbors, and bare soil that stays bare. In fiber, that becomes uneven stalk. In grain, it becomes fewer heads. If the emergence does not match the seed you bought, call rechem while the row is still young enough to learn from.

Fiber and grain

The harvest note is How is hemp fiber different from hemp grain?.

What is different about growing for fiber versus growing for grain?

The plant you are paid for. 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.

How tall should a fiber crop get?

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. The stand should be even. A short, gappy field is a fiber failure even if a few plants are tall.

When do I harvest fiber, and when do I harvest grain?

Grain first, if you are taking grain: the same header you would use for soybeans or wheat. HFGA 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.

How do I dry and handle the grain?

Fast, and down to that 8 percent. HFGA's warning is spoilage, not a complicated new handling system. A traditional bin is enough once it is dry. 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.

Who buys fiber, and who buys grain?

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. HFGA is blunt that dockage and a late load can erase the margin.

Paperwork

The license note is Do I need a license to grow hemp?.

Do I need a license before I plant?

Yes. Federal legality is not the same as a license in your name. HFGA says to read the state and county rules. Their textile standard will not grade fiber unless it was grown under a USDA-approved state or tribal hemp production plan, or a USDA hemp producer license under 7 CFR Part 990. Get that in place before the seed goes in. rechem selling you seed does not replace it.

What tests does the crop have to pass?

The one that decides whether the crop is still hemp: total delta-9 THC at or under 0.3 percent dry weight. Under the HFGA textile standard, a DEA-registered lab runs that test on a sample taken within 30 days before harvest. The same standard also tests the delivered fiber for pesticides, heavy metals, PFAS, and process chemicals, and it does not allow chlorinated bleach or pre-harvest desiccants. Planting certified seed, and reporting it to the state program, is how HFGA says many states cut the cannabinoid testing back.

What records do I need to keep?

The lot has to be traceable. The HFGA textile standard asks for the producer license number, the parcel, the variety, the seed lot, the planting date, the harvest date, and the pre-harvest cannabinoid report. Keep the bag tags from rechem. If a buyer or a state inspector asks what went on the field in the last twelve months, "we think it was fine" is not a record.

Where to go next

Each part of this guide has its own note: seed, genetics, planting, chemicals, the field, the stand, fiber and grain, and the license. Seed treatment is Organic seed and planting chemistry. The company behind the seed and the chemicals is rechem, inside Heartland. The association's own planting guide is at hfga.io.