Justin Eve wanted to be one of the first to get into production of the agricultural industry’s newest commodity when Sutter County officials adopted an industrial hemp ordinance earlier this year. Unlike other growers who see it as a new cash crop, he took to it because of his background in science.
“I believe in how great of a crop it is and all of the different things it can do,” said Eve, owner of 7 Generations Producers. “Personally, I come from an energy background, growing plants to make something out of them. I knew hemp would be a great crop for those purposes. I believe in the bigger picture.”
Eve is leasing a piece of land in Nicolaus to run his 10,000-square-foot greenhouse operation, which has been certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They planted their first crop in July and expect to harvest at the end of November.
“A lot of growers are focused on the CBD benefits of hemp, but you can help intensify the quality by growing in a greenhouse as opposed to outdoors, mainly because of the nighttime temperatures. The plant doesn’t want a lot of variances in temperature, so they will stop growing, but greenhouses can get a more productive growth,” Eve said. “We are focused on growing year-round. We use light deprivation, which is just using a light bulb to give it some exposure to light and that makes the plant think it is still a different time of year.”
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