As hemp becomes more common in American culture, so do misconceptions about what it is and is not. Indeed, many people nowadays use words like cannabis, CBD, marijuana, and hemp as if they’re all the same thing. In reality, there are many differences between these terms.
If you’re interested in better understanding what hemp is, then keep reading. In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about this increasingly popular crop and why you should consider investing in it.
When people use the word “cannabis,” they’re usually referring to the cannabis plant from which both hemp and marijuana are derived. There are two major cannabis families you need to be aware of: Indica and Sativa. Marijuana could grow from either of these families, but hemp is exclusively extracted from Sativa plants.
The major difference between hemp and cannabis has to do with their differing levels of chemicals known as cannabinoids. Hemp plants contain a high amount of the chemical compound “cannabidiol” (CBD) and minimal amounts of “tetrahydrocannabinol” (THC). As you might already know, THC is the psychoactive chemical that’s responsible for making you feel “high.” While CBD is non-psychoactive, scientists believe this chemical could have huge therapeutic benefits for a wide variety of medical conditions.
Cannabis can also have a high CBD count, although it is often accompanied by a THC content of over 0.3%, which is the legal limit. Therefore, hemp is presently the only choice for indoor or outdoor commercial cultivators and CBD retailers.
There are significant differences between the names hemp oil, high CBD oil, CBD crude and cannabis oil.
Both hemp oil and high CBD oil are similar in that they come from the cannabis Sativa plant. Hemp oil, however, is made by cold pressing hemp seeds, whereas high CBD oil is usually made using CO2 extraction or liquid extraction techniques on the entire hemp plant. Hemp oil has zero THC content, but CBD oil could have a maximum of 0.3% THC. Both of these oils are now regulated and tested by the FDA.
CBD crude oil on the other hand is created from CO2 or ethanol extraction processes. It is the step hemp biomass is turned to before converting into distillate and isolate. Crude has a high percentage of other cannabinoids and is processed further into higher purity CBD products.
As you’d expect from its name, high CBD oil is the preferred choice for customers who want to take advantage of the purported benefits of CBD. Hemp seed oil, on the other hand, is best known for its high levels of healthy omega fatty acids and is often used for industrial purposes or as a topical ointment.
Since the cultivation of hemp has been decriminalized in the Farm Bill of 2018, the demand for hemp and CBD oils has skyrocketed across the USA. This is the major reason cultivating high CBD hemp has become so lucrative nowadays.
It’s now estimated that the CBD marketplace could reach over $20 billion by 2022. Since marijuana remains a schedule I drug at the federal level; it’s easier for consumers and cultivators to obtain CBD oil extracted from 100% legal hemp. Later we’ll go over the major things you need to consider before you enter the competitive world of hemp cultivation. Before we get there, however, let’s take a deeper look at why CBD has become such a valuable commodity in the health food industry.
In the cannabis growing industry, females are always preferred (plants, that is). Non-pollinated female cannabis produces the highest quantities of cannabinoids.
Due to this preference for female plants, many wholesalers sell feminized CBD hemp seeds. When you plant these pre-sexed seeds into your farm, you’ll have a theoretical 99.9% chance of producing only female plants. Unsurprisingly, feminized hemp seeds go for much higher prices than their regular counterparts.
Farmers who purchase CBD hemp seeds has to keep a constant lookout for male plants. Once these male plants appear, you must separate them from the females before their pollen sacs burst. You can tell if you’ve got a male or female on your hands by checking the nodes on each plant during the pre-flowering stage. Male plants have pollen sacs in this area, but females have long strands.
So, what’s that 0.1% chance you won’t get a female plant with feminized seeds? Well, although it’s somewhat rare, it is possible to produce a hermaphrodite plant. If this happens, you’ll see both strands and sacs in the plant’s nodes. You should treat this plant like you would a male and remove them from your farm ASAP.
Usually, environmental stressors cause otherwise healthy female cannabis plants to “herm out.” If you spend money on feminized seeds, please always check that your plants get the nutrients they need to avoid making a costly mistake.
When people imagine a cannabis plant, the images that often flood their mind are of short bushes full of deep green pointy leaves. These iconic images, however, are only of marijuana plants. Interestingly, hemp plants look significantly different from their marijuana counterparts.
Compared with marijuana, hemp plants are extremely tall (up to 20 feet) with a skinnier stalk and thinner leaves. These hemp leaves tend to be most concentrated at the top of the plant. After you’ve seen these plants for yourself a few times, you should have no issues telling the differences between hemp and marijuana.
Since CBD has become such a big business globally, it’s unsurprising many people want to get into growing their own CBD hemp seeds. As with any other business venture, there are risks associated with investing in high CBD hemp seed cultivation. Anyone interested in getting involved in the hot CBD market should protect their financial interests by entering a hemp futures contract.
Basically, hemp futures contracts are price, date, and quantity agreements between buyers and sellers of hemp. These contracts are drawn up before the hemp is cultivated, which helps reduce risk both on the farmer and distributor’s ends.
There are many different futures contracts farmers could enter into, but the most popular is a High CBD Hemp Biomass Future. In these contracts, farmers have to supply buyers with unprocessed hemp seeds, which are then usually ground into high CBD oil. Farmers who are more interested in getting involved in the medical side of CBD, however, should consider entering into CBD Hemp Flower Futures or Industrial Hemp Biomass agreements.
While the CBD market is extremely competitive, there are still many great opportunities for hemp seed cultivators. Just be sure when you’re beginning your venture into the CBD industry that you secure a high-quality futures agreement with an experienced company to protect your investment.
CBD hemp seeds are fully legal to purchase, process and resell, under the 2018 Farm Bill. The essential prerequisite is that your seeds should contain less than 0.3% THC to be compliant.
If you are looking to purchase high CBD hemp seed for your business, you’ve reached the right place. Here at Industrial Hemp Farms, we are currently offering a large selection of hemp seeds, including regular and feminized hemp varieties. You can reach out to us if you are planning to grow hemp commercially and want to start on the right footing.
We also specialize in seed production, buying and selling hemp biomass direct, we offer hemp futures/field profit sharing and CBD processing/extraction services. IHF LLC is your one-stop supplier for everything around hemp cultivation and processing.
We are not a broker and buy and sell all of our inventory directly. You are welcome to come to tour our facility in Colorado Springs at any time. In fact, we recommend it! Contact us if you wish to do so and see our stock of hemp seed for sale in person.
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