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News Advertiser
www.NewsAdvertiser.com
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
Growing Hemp Industry in the Spotlight Michelle Pinon News Advertiser Lamont County hosted its second annual Hemp Producer Workshop in Lamont on February 13. Economic Development Director Jim Newman welcomed the delegates, 70 in total, to the workshop. “Our dream is to educate processors and farmers. The goal is put focus on this region, and to build a value added cluster to bring developers to the region.” He went onto say, having great research capability and a decortication plant at the back door is a great bonus for producers and processors. “Jan Slaski globally shares his knowledge,” stated Newman, who introduced the world renown research-
er who is based in Vegreville at InnoTech Alberta. Slaski, who had just returned from a trip to Great Falls, Montana said producers had many questions, and are currently at the stage where Canada was 20 years ago. Slaski launched into some of the research he’s done on industrial hemp and results from some of the agronomy trials that have been conducted in recent years. Slaski said the Vegreville site is the only one of its kind in North America and its role is to support and move industry forward. Aaron Barr, Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Rockies Hemp, said the company has the first bio-refinery in North World renown hemp researcher Jan Slaski of Alberta Innotech in Vegreville was America. `We were fortuthe first presenter of the hemp producer workshop in Lamont on Feb. 13. nate to have had the fore(Michelle Pinon/Photo) sight and to have worked and expects to do more this year. with Inno Tech in Clarence Shwaluk, Director of Farm Operations for Vegreville. “We’re looking to integrate the Manitoba Harvest, spoke about growing hemp for same practices into our production.” grain.The shell of hemp grain is sold to the holistic The company is situated on 75 acres of land near the Town of Bruderheim. It is construct- health market, and the rest of the grain is turned into ing a 40,000 square foot processing facility, oil. “We have 16,000 different retail locations across and plans to add on 20,000 square feet to the US and Canada.” Dan Madlung from the BioComposite Group in accommodate an administration office that will be built out of hempcrete blocks. Barr Drayton Valley spoke about the growing interest in said having rail access is a big component to the industry. He is currently working on developing a its operation. low cost facility design so other businesses can build Barr, who has travelled to 25 different their own hempmills, and keep rural communities countries, said the demand for industrial sustainable. “In the end, we want to generate a stronhemp is growing around the world.”It has a ger, more diverse agriculture sector.” real trickle down effect, Lamont County Agricultural Fieldman Terry and more producers are Eleniak said “great interest” has been shown by local reaching out to us. It’s a producers who are looking to add hemp, flax, soymiracle crop we finally beans and fababeans into their crop rotation. Eleniak have the advantage of recommends producers try hemp on a smaller scale, growing here.” The com- somewhere between 10-50 acres. “If we can start propany sells bales of hemp. moting it locally…and regionally, the producers are Canadian going to benefit, the families are going to benefit and In 2019, Rockies Hemp contract- the communities will benefit because we’ll be able to ed 10,000 acres locally, employ our local people.
