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Illinois farmer learning from trial year of hemp production

A central Illinois farmer says this is a trial year for hemp production and he is learning from it.

“It’s not all about the profit this year, it is more about the learning this year.”

Jacob Wade from McLean, Illinois tells Brownfield delayed planting of his corn and soybeans didn’t allow him to plant his first hemp crop until the first week of June.

“This year was a very strenuous year to even start to add a new crop to our operation. The challenge right from the start was that we were already later behind than we should have been.”

Wade says, despite the wet weather, he has learned a lot about the crop to make profit-driven changes for 2020.  

“There are a lot more struggles than I thought putting seeds in the ground that I don’t think I would ever do again. I think I will always transplant plants.”

Wade says he eventually wants to grow hemp for CBD oil and to sell seedlings.

Brownfield interviewed Wade at Illinois Soybean Association’s Tech Connect event in Champaign.