Hemp seed market update: Canada
As the modern hemp industry approaches 25 years in Canada, hemp farmers continue to research, develop and invest in the foundation of the entire industry: seed genetics. It is not an exaggeration to say that without the proper seed genetics, there is no hemp industry.
The top hemp farmers in Canada (where the crop has been legal to grow since 1998) have identified three important factors when customizing hemp seed genomes, especially for grain production:
Good Agronomics (yields, easily harvested, short-to-moderately tall).
Good Processing (oil and protein quality and processing yield).
Quality to the End User (things like taste and texture).
Currently, the most popular hemp variety in Canada is called Finola. Developed in Finland, this seed grows shorter than other varieties, thrives in northern latitudes and provides a high yield per acre of hemp grain. More than 26,000 acres of Finola were planted in the country in 2020.
Katani is the name of another grain cultivar. This seed variety is popular with CBD producers. Katani seeds made up more than 20 percent of planted hemp acres in Canada last year.
A third popular seed variety is named Canda, which grows to about 11 feet and produces 1.5 tons of straw and 1,000 pounds of grain per acre. The Canda seed is quickly becoming a go-to dual-use grain/fiber plant.
As the hemp industry continues to mature in Canada, its neighbors to the south in the United States will be watching closely, learning and working with farmers and seed geneticists to develop more specialized and efficient seed varieties.
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