A new rotational crop is starting to make its way onto some farms in the Northern Plains. Agricultural Utilization Research Institute Director of Business and Industry Development Harold Stanislawski says there’s a place for hemp in production agriculture. “I think most farmers in Minnesota today, given where corn and soybean prices are, would ask for another crop that they can put in their rotation so they can have more diversity on the farm and more opportunities to meet market demand.” Everything is already in place in North Dakota and Minnesota. “North Dakota and Minnesota already contract hemp. Healthy Oilseeds in Carrington contract hemp at around 70 cents a pound. The yields seen in Minnesota on non-hybrids are averaging between 1,000 and 1,250 pounds. Tthat will compete with corn and beans today, but when the hybrids come, those yields will double.”
