Kildare farmer James Cocoman is one of a handful of growers pioneering the cultivation of hemp in Ireland. Coming from a beef, dairy and more recently tillage background, the Kill farmer decided to plant 20 acres of hemp on his farm in 2019.
With no tradition of growing hemp on the island, farmers like James have had to learn on the job, using trial and error to discover what works and what doesn’t.
The first major question was how thickly to sow the seed: too much and you run the risk of the plants developing mould; too little and the crop can become infested with weeds.
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