Thanks to Joonas Põllumäe and Nordic Hemp for the invitation.
Recent years have been tough for grain farmers. Grain prices are trending downwards more than up, input costs remain high, and the weather shows no mercy. In this situation, a question inevitably arises: could there be something else in the crop rotation to help diversify risk and stabilize cash flow?
The cultivation area of hemp in Estonia has fluctuated over the years and seems to be undergoing a new resurgence. Since there are many myths surrounding hemp cultivation, I visited the Estonian company Nordic Hemp. I had a long conversation with their Quality Manager, Joonas, about hemp, agrotechnology, harvesting, drying, and finances. We produced a video, and below is a summary of our discussion.
What kind of plant is hemp, really?
First, one thing must be made clear: we are talking about industrial hemp, not the kind used as an intoxicant. Industrial hemp is grown for its seeds, not for its flowers.
The variety grown in the field must comply with European Union regulations – THC content in the green mass is monitored and must remain below 0.3%. For the seed, the limit is up to 3 mg/kg.
This is where variety selection comes in. In theory, all hemp varieties listed in the official EU catalog are permitted, but in practice, not all of them may meet the THC seed limits. To mitigate this risk, Nordic Hemp offers its own variety, “Estica,” which has had no instances of exceeding THC limits.
Agrotechnology – it doesn’t just “grow by itself”
Hemp is sometimes advertised as a crop that grows “even in a ditch.” The reality is different. Hemp requires as much attention as any other field crop.
It needs:
- Loose soil,
- Moisture,
- A good seedbed (sowing depth 2-3 cm),
- For mineral soils with average fertility, the necessary nutrients for good yield are: N105, P27, and K50.
In practice, the optimal amount of nitrogen has proven to be up to 150 kg/ha. Beyond that, there is no additional yield benefit.
Surprisingly, hemp also suits peat soils well, provided the drainage works and the field can support machinery in the autumn. Thus, it is theoretically possible to utilize peat-based fields more efficiently.
Soil Tillage – to plow or not to plow?
In the Sadala Agro production trials, several methods were tested:
- Plowing,
- Minimum tillage,
- Strip-till,
- No-till (direct drilling),
- Wide-row maize planter.
In the drought-affected 2023 trial, no-till into stubble proved to be the most profitable. Visually, this variant looked the worst, but the yield combined with low operational costs resulted in the highest profit.
This doesn’t mean plowing isn’t necessary, but rather that hemp is not overly picky about soil tillage. The decision should be based on the field’s condition and weed pressure.
Sowing Time and Rate
Literature mentions a soil temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, but in practice, there’s no point in waiting for that. The safe sowing time is the second or third week of May. Sowing earlier carries a risk of night frosts, while sowing later increases the risk of drought, and the ripening time might coincide with Christmas Eve.
The sowing rate is approximately 120 germinating seeds per square meter, or 25-30 kg/ha.
Under good conditions, hemp emerges very quickly – the plant can be out of the ground in as little as three days. This means that, for example, the window for using pre-emergence herbicides is very short.
Weed Control – limited options
In conventional farming, the only registered herbicide is “Fenix,” and it can only be used in a very narrow window (up to 3 days under good conditions) before emergence. After that, chemical control is not possible.
In organic production, spring plowing helps. You might not achieve complete weed freedom, but the crop itself is fast-growing and competes successfully with weeds.
Harvesting – myths vs reality
Harvesting causes the most fear. The fibrous structure of the hemp stalk means that long fibers (up to 2m) can wrap around bearings, which has created the legend that a hemp field inevitably means a combine harvester on fire. Practice does not support this.
What is important:
- A sharp knife,
- Regular checks and cleaning (a couple of times a day),
- Slow speed (2-3 km/h),
- Straw in windrows (it comes out in clumps that decompose nicely by spring),
- An attentive operator.
Conventional walker combines, such as the NH CX series, have proven best for harvesting. It is possible to harvest with a rotor combine, but one must be even more attentive. Hybrid combines do not work with hemp.
The harvest timing itself is also full of nuances. Maturity means about 80% of the seeds are ready. The lower seeds may already be shedding, while the top ones are still green. Uniform maturity is never fully achieved in practice. Some farmers determine the right time by whether there are many birds in the field. Why? Because birds love ripe hemp seeds. But if the birds are busy elsewhere or haven’t found the field, there’s no point in waiting until Christmas 😀
Ideal harvest moisture would be 16-17%, but in reality, seeds are often harvested at 20-25% moisture.
Hemp is cut fairly high, leaving behind tall, strong stalks. It’s a myth that this destroys every machine driving on the field; however, this is true as long as you don’t drive in reverse. In Estonia, there are growers with hundreds of hectares, and if hemp stalks were breaking tires, hoses, and sensors, we would have heard about it.
Drying – the critical point
If harvesting is risk factor number two, then drying is number one. Hemp must not be dried at high temperatures. The incoming air should not exceed approximately 50°C. A high airflow and a slow process are required.
Drying at too high a temperature causes the seed to crack and the oil to spoil, which raises the peroxide value and ruins the quality. Final moisture must be between 6-9%, preferably 7-8%.
And most importantly: hemp must not sit wet in a pile. Not even for 24 hours. Self-heating starts quickly, and rapidly developing microbiology can ruin the batch.
Storage and Settlement
For sale, the seed is packed into BigBags (1-1.2 t). Upon reception, a sample is taken from every bag, and fractions are determined in a lab. Settlement is based on clean seed weight.
This means that handling quality directly affects income. You can use an auger to load the seed, but this means slightly more broken seeds, which are accounted for as waste.
Economics – is it worth it?
Yield:
• Conventional: 500-1300 kg/ha, 800-1000 kg/ha in a normal year.
• Organic: 200-1000 kg/ha.
Purchase Price:
• Conventional: ~1200 €/t
• Organic: ~1800 €/t
Seed cost is approximately 5 €/kg.
- 30 kg/ha means about 150 €/ha seed cost,
- N105, P27, and K50 approximately 225 €/ha,
- Fenix 2 l/ha – 35 €/ha,
- Fuel costs for operations – 30 €/ha,
- Drying – 30 €/t,
- Total variable costs (without drying) 470 €/ha,
- Fixed costs (repairs, leasing, loans, labor, etc.) – 500 €/ha.
Profitability Calculation – Conventional
| Yield (kg/ha) | Revenue | Variable Costs | Gross Margin €/ha | Fixed Costs | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 600 | 485 | 115 | 500 | -385 |
| 800 | 960 | 494 | 466 | 500 | -34 |
| 1000 | 1200 | 500 | 700 | 500 | +200 |
| 1300 | 1560 | 509 | 1051 | 500 | +551 |
Profitability Calculation – Organic
| Yield (kg/ha) | Revenue | Variable Costs | Gross Margin €/ha | Fixed Costs | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | 360 | 186 | 174 | 500 | -326 |
| 400 | 720 | 192 | 528 | 500 | +28 |
| 500 | 900 | 195 | 705 | 500 | +205 |
| 800 | 1440 | 204 | 1236 | 500 | +736 |
| 1000 | 1800 | 210 | 1590 | 500 | +1090 |
Contracts are made starting from 50 hectares, but it is also possible for several producers to combine under one contract to meet the 50 ha minimum.
Summary
Hemp is not a miracle crop, but in a good year, it can offer a decent return per hectare, especially in organic production. Hemp is not a magic wand that will solve all the problems of Estonian agriculture, but it can be a sensible supplementary crop that helps diversify risk and improve economic results.
Success does not come by itself – the key points are harvesting, drying, and quality. If you take the nuances of hemp into account, I don’t believe growing it is an insurmountable difficulty. But we all know that theory vs. practice in agriculture can be very different; however, at this price point, the outlook is more promising than with traditional grains.
