The Hemp Mine has recently concluded their second annual Field Trials (13 different regional locations – covering the US), which saw many people attending despite the difficult pandemic times. “These Field Trials are particularly important for field farmers and greenhouse growers, and for the industry as a whole, as we show how our hemp genetics perform in different regions across the US,” Travis Higginbotham with The Hemp Mine explains. “This is something unique we offer to the market because the hemp genetics segment is quite saturated with much misinformation. For instance, within seeds and clones, the same variety is being sold for the same price across different latitudes at the same crop density/acre with the same planting date recommendations; yet, they certainly do not perform equally in every location: that is why it is of the utmost importance to share the findings of these trials with the industry enabling a predictable and sustainable path forward.”
Travis and his business partner Dr. Allison Justice have been in the ornamental industry for many years, and they are very much aware of what is necessary to grow healthy and productive crops: of course, everything starts with having the right genetics. “In the ornamental Market, genetic selections are based on regional trial performance, giving confidence to producers about their “proven” performance,” Travis remarks. “With cannabis this is even more important, considering the high value of such a crop.”
This year’s edition of the Field Trials was bigger than last year’s. “Last year, we hosted an event only at our location in South Carolina,” he says. “This season, we had events at two locations, namely in South Carolina and Michigan. Our new approach/layout of the trials mimicked that of other mature market field trials. We ordered the genetics by rows and had them side by side in decent quantity. We had 150 genetics (different cultivars) to display, and such a disposition helped tremendously to show the difference in performance between the different cultivars. One of the benefits of conducting trials in this manner is that it allows you to confidently judge crop uniformity/consistency, plant to plant."
"Southern Belle – one of our CBD stars!" Travis Higginbotham, The Hemp Mine
So, for the next editions, Travis and The Hemp Mine will propose this new format, with even more novelties. “We have a new catalogue coming soon where we have put the cannabinoid progression per week, and we are going to show that data on a graph with multiple different regional data points, overlayed.”
In order to share even more knowledge with the industry, The Hemp Mine has also launched an educational video series that will look at the different aspects of cannabis growing. “For instance, we have already released a video about photoperiodism, where we dive deep into the photoperiodic nature of cannabis in general,” Travis says. “From there, we are going to launch videos on each of our varieties, where we describe their characteristics and show the quality attributes of the crop.” See the links below to their YouTube Channel & First Variety Video on Southern Belle.
One of the most interesting things that The Hemp Mine is going to better explain in their videos is the Hemp Planting Map, a map made in collaboration with the University of Tennessee that shows the environmental data of different regions. “Bluntly put, this is the meat of what we want people to take away: it is important to better understand cannabis genetics and how they perform in a specific environment. The end result is to have predictable yields, and to do that, you need to maximize the season through a careful study of your growing conditions and through a careful selection of the genetics. The goal of the Field Trials is exactly to show how and where these genetics perform at their best when these conditions are heavily considered.”
For more information:
The Hemp Mine
thehempmine.com