The USDA’s weekly farm column puts the spotlight on Indiana hemp cultivators

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes a weekly column called “Fridays on the Farm,” which sheds light on different farmers from across the country about how they are committed to sustainable agriculture or protecting local wildlife species. One of the more recent posts in this series features an interview with father-son duo Jeff and Jeffrey Garland, co-owners of Papa G’s Organic Hemp Farm in Indiana.

The interview explains how Jeff (the father) previously grew corn, soybeans and hay on his 200-acre farm before his son Jeffrey asked him in 2020 if he had ever considered growing hemp. Although Jeff initially considered selling his farm, Jeffrey helped them find the right people to start a hemp farm.

During their first season, they cultivated both in the open field and in a tall tunnel or large dome greenhouse. “At the end of the season they tested the quality of the plants and the plants grown in the high tunnel clearly outperformed those in the field. They had gotten longer and larger, resulting in more oil being extracted, and the oil itself was of better quality,” wrote USDA article author Brandon O’Connor.

Seeing improved results for growing hemp in their tall tunnel greenhouse, the duo sought assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program to expand the tunnel and maximize their hemp oil production. “They applied for an EQIP contract in 2021 and got approval. Construction of the tunnel is planned to be in time for the 2022 growing season,” explained O’Connor. “Due to the ability to control their plants’ growing environment, the tall tunnels allow the Garlands to extend their season by several weeks on either side. It [is] played a big part in transforming their hemp operation into a true year-round operation.”

Jeff added that the tunnel allows them to extend their growing season and increase their yield. “We have to give up early [in the field]. “Two to three weeks earlier in the field than in a high tunnel,” Jeff said in the interview. “If you let them run longer, you will produce more oil. It’s important to have that high tunnel.”

As with other farms featured in the USDA’s “Fridays on the Farm,” soil health is of paramount importance. “Everything starts with the ground,” Jeffery said. “If you don’t have good soil, you won’t have good plants and then you won’t have the best oil. So we’re really putting a lot of organic matter back into our soil.”

The Garlands add “various forms” of compost and fertilizer to nourish the soil, but they’ve also asked the NRCS to help them create a catch crop plan. With the help of conservationist Lee Scnell, they developed a cover crop mix that includes 17 plant species.

Papa G’s Organic Hemp Farm grows hemp, which is used in a variety of ointments, tinctures, softgels, gummies, and topicals.

Last year, the USDA released a report stating that the hemp market was worth $824 million. In February of last year, industrial hemp growers planted more than 54,152 hectares of hemp and harvested 33,480 hectares.

According to Hubert Hamer, administrator of the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS), the report was a “necessary benchmark” to assess the state of the industry. “Not only will this data provide guidance to USDA agencies in supporting domestic hemp production, the results can also help inform producers’ decisions about growing, harvesting, and selling hemp, and the types of hemp for which production they choose to influence. The poll results could also impact policy decisions about the hemp industry,” Hamer explained.

The USDA first sent out surveys collecting data on hemp farms in October 2021.