This full-day intensive workshop focuses on growing an agricultural hemp crop through flower into the seed phase for farmers wishing to produce an oil, seed or grain crop. We’ll cover genetics, soil preparation, fertility needs, pest and disease management, harvesting and extracting CBD oil on the farm with an eye to what the proper harvest windows and crop quality should be for a legal, marketable product.
The knowledge of agricultural hemp production, once a common and lucrative crop in Massachusetts, has skipped over more than a generation of farmers. For the past 81 years it was illegal to grow, leading to the loss of local strains of crop genetics, regionalized cultural practices, and an interruption in the handing down of crop knowledge from parent to child and farmer to apprentice. With a new Massachusetts policy authorizing the commercial production of sun-grown agricultural hemp in the state, local farmers are interested in integrating agricultural hemp into their farm businesses.
This is why NOFA/Mass is presenting a full-day intensive workshop on growing agricultural hemp in the Northeast on November 19 in Amherst. The focus of this particular workshop is growing a hemp crop through flower into the seed phase for farmers wishing to produce an oil, seed or grain crop. We will cover genetics, soil preparation, fertility needs, pest and disease management, harvesting and extracting CBD oil on the farm with an eye to what the proper harvest windows and crop quality should be for a legal, marketable product.
The roots of our food system are embedded in soil. Hopefully, that soil is rich, fertile, full of nutrients and alive with microbial life that will be mirrored in the fruits of the harvests that reach our tables. As NOFA/Mass explores the theme Food As Medicine throughout 2019, we will kick off the year with the 32nd Annual Winter Conference on Saturday January 12, 2019, headlined by keynote speaker John Kempf.
Regenerative practices breathe life into our soils. These practices also bring nutrition, flavor and redemption to a landscape of food systems born from artificial methods – ones that fake nature’s majesty fairly well, but at great cost. Human health, environmental health and the health of our communities are all tied to our food system, and our soils. Nutrients in our food and carbon in our atmosphere meet in the realm of our soil. We as farmers, gardeners and land stewards can make a significant impact and contribution to the regeneration of depleted soils and systems. We hope you can join us for the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference where together we will learn methods of growing and preparing healthy and heathful foods at any scale – from fire escape containers to production-scale acreage.
On November 4 NOFA/Mass folks of all sorts will be gathering to walk, run, cheer each other on, and share in a delicious farm food potluck to raise money for our high-quality organic food and farming educational programming and policy work. We are looking for team members and hope you will join us!
Your support will help us continue to bring in experts in agronomy, herbalism, nutrition, and food preservation and preparation, as we work to further our organizational literacy around soil carbon sequestration and its relationship to human and planetary health , all accomplished in our unique grass-roots, each one, teach one way.
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Upcoming Events
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32nd Annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference with Keynoter John Kempf
January 12, 2019
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Organic Certification
We can help with your Organic Certification
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Raw Milk Network
Buy fresh, unpasteurized milk from a local farm.
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Soil Carbon Restoration
Read our Soil Carbon Restoration white paper
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Soil Technical Assistance Program
Help with soil balancing