VALLEY FARMERS HIGH ON NEW HEMP CROP

Valley farmers are looking at growing, processing, and marketing a plant
that has had its fair share of image problems.

Chops Viger of Kentville is one of a handful of farmers who think hemp
could be the crop of the future.

"It's the oldest cultivated plant," says the 67-year-old retired fighter
pilot and Canadian Tire store operator. "The oldest cloth and paper comes
from hemp."

Hemp has been used to make rope, clothing, paper, food, and
pharmaceuticals. Viger says some people claim there are 25,000 potential
uses for the leafy green plant.

"If we could get one tenth of one per cent of those 25,000, we'd still have
25 products," says Viger.

Various uses

The plant contains three parts: the fibre, the seeds, and the hurd. Each
portion can be used for various purposes, from oil in the seeds to pulp and
paper from the fibre.

Hemp is also known for its high protein content, similar to soy, but easier
to digest, making it an ideal substitute for any of the soybean's uses,
such as tofu, oil, and food supplements.

Viger says more than 1,000 jobs could be created in the Annapolis Valley if
the plants were grown and processed in the area, instead of transporting
the raw materials to other locations.

Many Valley farmers are considering adding hemp to their fields next year,
because of its lucrative potential. A farmer could yield more than $1,000
per acre of hemp, while it can cost as little as $300 to grow, depending on
the soil's original condition.

The Valley provides ideal growing conditions and would benefit from the
plant, says Viger. Up to 70 per cent of the nutrients the plants take from
the soil are returned to it as they drop their leaves.

Plants also require little in the way of pesticides or fertilizer, allowing
a much-needed break for the soil says Viger.

As much as Viger believes in the potential of hemp, he's still in the
research stages, trying to find a viable way to produce and market it.

"At this juncture I'm optimistic, but I can't guarantee it."

Looking for fibre

Fundy Pulp and Paper, which recycles cardboard, has publicly announced it's
looking for more fibre for its product. Viger says hemp might be the answer.

Mike Lewis, a Billtown farmer holding the only local commercial hemp
license, just finished harvesting over four hectares of the stuff.

"That was a test crop, we're sending it to potential markets to let them
see that we can grow it, and prove the quality for them."

Lewis says businesses such as hardboard and textile companies call every
day for samples to see if they can use the many parts of the plant in their
products.

"Things have been processing very well for us, we just can't be sure of
anything just yet," says Lewis.

Requests for the product have come from all sorts of people. A local
weaving instructor hopes to use it to teach her students how to weave.
Lewis says they've only received a bit of negative response - people taking
the tops off the plants, in hopes of getting free pot.

The hemp that is grown for commercial use is not the kind of cannabis that
gives you a buzz. The drug substance in marijuana known as THC is 15 to 18
per cent. To obtain a licence to grow commercial hemp, the plant has less
than half of one per cent.

"You'd have to smoke a whole truck load to get a buzz off it, and then
you'd just get sick," says Viger.

The business plan is almost together, putting their future success just a
little closer.

"It's just a matter of getting it off the ground right, getting it right
off the bat."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski