Will I lose CBD potency by using a combine?

Yes. Automated harvesting equipment will always dilute the CBD potency of your material when compared to shucking the crop by hand. If harvesting wet, you will lose around 1-3% CBD and 3-5% CBD when harvesting dry crops. You will see higher potency loses on very potency plants (15-19% CBD) and lower loss on less potency plants (8-12% CBD). For example, a 15% CBD crop will normally end up around 8-10% CBD.

Will your combine harvest CBD for smokable flower or just biomass?

Just biomass. Our combines are not a good option for smokable flower production because it grinds up the flowers and leaves as opposed to keeping them intact.

What is my accurate hemp potency?

This is a common misconception. Many farmers will test a small sample of the best looking part of their plants (tops) and assume the rest of their field will test the same amount. The reality is a little more complicated. The tops of hemp plants always tests higher than the rest of your material. Normally, a 15% test on a plant means it’ll have a potency of 10-12% CBD after all flowers are mixed and milled together.

Will your combine harvest in the field?

Yes. The combine will not cut the standing plant, so that needs to be completed prior to the combine picking up the plant. The combines may be retrofitted to harvest dry plants (8-12% moisture is the sweet spot) or fresh wet plants (up to 85% moisture, the more fresh the better your separation). While a wet kit will harvest dry plants (and vice versa) the results are 70-80% of what you’d receive if the proper kit is used.

What’s the best method to measure the moisture of hemp flower?

Believe it or not, a simple dry-wall moisture meter with prongs does a fantastic job at measuring the moisture.

Hemp Moisture Meter

What’s the best way to dry CBD hemp?

That’s a million dollar question and the answer comes down to it depends on where you are. There are two main methods:

1. Dry climate
   If you’re in an area where it’s dry in the fall such as parts of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Southern Oregon, etc. you’re able to cut your plants in the field and let them dry in the sun.
   

2. Wet climate
   If you’re in an area where it’s wet during the fall such as TN, PA, western Oregon, etc. you will need to find a different way to dry your hemp. The most common methods are drying inside of a large barn or warehouse. Alternatively, hop dryers or some type of large oven dryer work well too, they’re just not widely available nationwide. If hang drying, it takes roughly 4,000 sqft/acre and 7-10 days for your hemp to drop to the required moisture content. Hanging plants is also a very expensive and labor intensive process.

Will your combine cut the hemp in the field?

No. The hemp must be manually or mechanically cut at the base. A manual worker should be able to cut 1-2 acres/hour with electric loppers or saws, similar to Christmas trees. Alternatively, there are many cutting discs available that’ll cut and lay the plant down.

How many people are needed to operate the combine?

One person is required to operate the combine. Depending on harvesting method, you’ll need 2-3 workers feeding of the harvester.

How reliable are your combines?

Extremely reliable. These combines were designed to run for 20-24 hours a day - 30 days a month during harvest season. We didn’t build our own combine. We modified the most reliable combines available on the market with readily available parts nationwide. Keep in mind, these are used machines that were not designed for a tough and sticky crop like hemp, so breakdowns do occur. It is best to have an experienced mechanic on-staff or on speed dial.

How do I know your hemp harvesters will work?

The reality is there isn’t a hemp harvester in the industry that’ll come anywhere near the USA Hemp Combines in terms of efficiency, low labor requirement, and acreage per day. Take a look at the videos, pictures, or come out to our farm in Oregon to see it first hand. Until the big guys step in (John Deere, Case, etc.), this is the industry leading hemp harvesting equipment.

Do you offer warranty?

Yes. If you purchase a combine from us, it comes with a 12 month warranty. Combine kits come with a 24 month warranty. If you are sourcing your own combine from a local dealership, make sure to have a third-party mechanic inspect the unit. Most Ag dealers are very dishonest about selling used equipment, even worse than shady used car lots!

What is your shipping policy?

Customers are responsible for the shipping cost for either a combine kit or combine from our facility near Portland, Oregon. Kits are shipped on pallets with UPS or FedEx Freight and combines are handled through heavy equipment shipping companies. It normally costs around $4/mile to ship a whole combine.

How long can I store hemp?

We’ve stored hemp up to 15 months in covered storage protected from the elements (warehouse) in super sacks. The key is to have a low moisture content prior to long-term storage otherwise the crop may develop mold and rot. 5-8% moisture is ideal.

How should I store hemp?

Using bulk totes is the most common method although there are many alternatives.

Make sure to ask yourself, is growing hemp right for you?

With the proper experience, industry connections and determination, hemp cultivation can be profitable. However, 7 out of 10 hemp farms fail. This has to do with many factors such as lack of serious buyers for the crop, bad characters stealing from farmers, improper planning and expectations, etc.. There is tremendous cost in growing this crop and serious buyers are not easy to come by. One of the most overlooked parts of the industry is harvest. A majority of first-time hemp farmers (or small farms scaling operation) underestimate the challenges of harvest. The entire hemp cultivation process can seem like a cake walk when compared to the challenges harvest will bring. Make sure to prepare your harvest process, drying process, and have your equipment lined up months before you need it. Otherwise, it may be too late when the time comes. Hemp biomass (assuming 10% CBD) prices fell from $30-45/lb in 2018 to around $5-8/lb in 2019. Where do you think the market is headed in 2020?

Due to popular demand, we’ve decided to answer a few cultivation questions. The answers below vary greatly based on planting and irrigation methods, soil fertility, climate, genetics, and pure luck.

How many plants per acre?

This questions varies greatly depending on region, planting style, and planting date. The earlier in the season, the farther apart you plant because of how large the plants will grow. We’ve personally grown on 3’x3’ (4,800 plants/acre) all the way up to 8’x8’( 700/acre). For biomass production, the sweet spot for us is 5’x5’ centers planted in the first part of June. For smokable flower production, we aim for greater spacing to increase airflow, prevent mold production, and make harvesting easier. 6x6 - 7x7 being the sweet spot.

What will I yield?

This is a tough question to answer as there are many factors to the equation. Everything from hemp experience, strain, planting date, soil fertility, harvesting method, region, climate, and more will play a big factor. In our neck of the woods, we aim for 1,000 - 2,000 lbs of dry, shucked, usable product per acre. Our heaviest yielding plot to date has been 2,600 lbs/acre but those plants were more like trees! When growing on a large scale, it’s better to aim low. Our company offers a lot of custom harvesting for across the USA and it seems like most farms are averaging 750 lbs - 1,500 lbs/acre.

When should I plant?

Depending on your location, planting around June 1st or after first frost is ideal.

When late can I plant?

It’ll depend on your location. We’ve heard of folks in Southern California planting auto-flowers are late as October for a December harvest, but are not sure on those results. We’ve personally planted as late as third week of August on the 45th parallel and were not pleased with the results. We do not recommend planting after July 25.

When should I harvest my CBD hemp crop?

The longer you push your plants, the higher your CBD potency will be. However, more problems also arise going deeper into the season. You plants will have a higher chance of developing mold or other diseases. In general, mid September - mid October will be the harvest window. It’ll mostly come down to your local climate that year. As any farmer will tell you, no 2 years are alike! We’ve harvested from early September to late October over the last few years. Another thing to keep in mind, the new proposed USDA testing regulations (total THC vs Delta9THC), total THC may spike whenever you push your hemp plants to their maximum CBD potency limits, meaning your crop can turn illegal.

Should I remove male hemp plants from my field?

Removing males from your field will allow you to increase your yields on the flower and CBD potency. However, if you don’t get a chance to remove the males, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll see slightly lower yields on your flower and potency (around 25%). Whether or not to remove males depends on your final outcome for your crop. Non-feminized seeds are a lot more affordable (normally around $0.10/seed vs $1.00/seed).

Anymore questions? Feel free to ask away!