NO-TILL ORGANIC HEMP

We started our Panorama Hemp project with farmer, author and friend, Andrew Mefferd. He has written two books on no-till farming techniques and has been an incredible resource and contributor to our operation. The system uses silage tarps to kill back grass in the field and reduce weed pressure. In the spring the tarp is moved off the field and we cut the rows with a bar. Once the rows are cut, we add amendments, manure from a neighboring farm and hay from the surrounding hay fields. Adding hay holds moisture in the soil and suppresses weeds. In June seedlings are transplanted into the cut in the rows and there's no stopping them after that. Some weeds will pop up in the rows, either blown in, or sprouting from seeds in the hay,  but they are quickly shaded out by the rapidly growing hemp plants. We interplant rows of flowers to attract beneficial insects and by mid summer the native predatory insects have moved in and keep any pests in check. After the plants have been harvested we use the same bar on the tractor to pull up the stumps before moving the tarps back over the field to put it to bed for winter. We are following the hemp with garlic and will be adding dry beans to the rotation in 2023.