Hemp farmers searching for flower-storage solutions

(Photo courtesy of Hemptown)

(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the July issue of Marijuana Business Magazine. On Wednesday, read about strategies for storing hemp fiber and grain.)

Storing hemp properly is arguably as important as planting, harvesting or any other step in the cultivation process, because it can be just as crucial to farmers looking to turn a profit.

Until this year, storage of hemp flower and whole plant biomass had been relatively uncharted territory.

“This industry is so new that I don’t think anybody really knows how long this stuff will store yet,” said Scott Propheter, vice president of agronomy and outreach at Criticality, a North Carolina-based, vertically integrated hemp and CBD company.

Susceptible to humidity, temperature, ultraviolet light and weather, an improperly stored hemp crop can quickly go from good to bad under the untrained eye. When exposed to the elements, hemp can face mold problems and degradation in cannabinoid potency.

With an influx of farmers and businesses coming into the market – and new processors and manufacturers still learning how to work with hemp – the still-developing, hemp-storage landscape is likely to become even more important.

To read more about how hemp-flower producers are storing their crops, click here.