ONTARIO HEMP FARM TRIAL (SPRING/SUMMER 2011)
Martintown, Ontario, Canada.
Alex Robertson Saw Mills and Farm.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION:
For many years I worked with a friend of mine, Gary Skillen and his company called E.A.S.E. (Ecological Agricultural Solutions and Energies) based out of St. Isadore, Ontario. The function of this enterprise was to research & develop alternative methods to present day farming techniques and applications alongside the creation of a complete line of alternative 100% Organic soil nutrients to replace the present N.P.K. commercial synthetic fertilizers. We used many alternative technologies and methodologies to achieve these results.
While working with Gary I met many farmers of the area, one of which was Alex Robertson, an 80-year-old Scottish gentleman whose family were one of the first families in the Ontario area to take up farming over 150 years ago. He owned hundreds of acres which he was now renting out to other local farmers that were growing corn and soya bean. His main activity and source of revenue on this farm was the owner and operator of Robertson Sawmill.
At that time Alex had severe health problems. He was informed from Gary that I was working in the alternative health care Industry with new technologies and new supplements yet unseen in the World. Alex contacted me and asked if I could be of assistance. I took on his case, gave assistance and helped Alex greatly. Alex was very appreciative and from this an amiable, friendship developed opening the doors to do the Hemp experiment.
MOTIVATION FOR THE EXPERIMENT
Being involved with scientists in Canada and in the United States on research and development to formulate, test and try new soil supplements directed at removal of toxins, regeneration and re-mineralization of all soil types was my mainstream goal for many years. Working with the Canadian Federally Licensed Medical Cannabis Growers, doing my own experimentation in vegetable and fruit gardens had been my main avenue to test and try soil nutrients that were being developed. As time went on I was witnessing much success as to the effectiveness and overall efficiency of these new alternative soil supplements and technologies that I began looking for a field test where I could see and analyze results. My associates in the Medical Cannabis Community had been informing me for a while about the increasing World interest in the production of Industrial Hemp, not just as a food supplement but for a vast range of other ecological Industries (books have been written to the 25,000 plus Industries that can be gained from the cultivation of ONE PLANT) which other countries around the World were already investigating. Doing further investigative research into this area I found it to be true, as well Canada was the number one country in the World that had the perfect climate and land conditions to grow this plant. One of the contacts that our group had direct inroads with was Manitoba Hemp Harvest which was one of North America’s largest Hemp producers and processors of the seed.
It was then that my direction became clear and I began making all the preparations with facts and figures to present to Alex who had much land where this project could begin. To my surprise he welcomed the idea and we began the project.
DESCRIPTION OF THE LAND (to be used in the test)
After proposing my idea to Alex and his acceptance a Team of us from Montreal headed for Ontario to the farm land to inspect the soil on the proposed 110 acres that Alex had selected for the project. We brought soil meters, shovels, and containers to take soil samples, a camera for before and after shots along with the basic soil protocol instructions that we wanted to use in the experiment.
All of the land had been used for 20 years as Monsanto, Round Up ready, conventional N.P.K. farm land where soya bean and corn were the 2 main crops. The soil was grey, completely depleted of any and all organic minerals, clay type, hard as a rock.
The soil was unbelievably acidic, compacted so much that you could not break it up with your fingers. Coming from an organic soil background, only having hands on experience with rich soils or at least natural soils that I built up I could not believe that any crop would grow from this type of earth. The farmer and my other associates began laughing at me, saying that this is what normal NPK farming was in this day and age. Soils were basically a planting medium with zero micro-nutrients, zero micro-biological life, zero anything and were only plausible due to putting commercial synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and of course to get rid of the weeds Round Up. I remember being given a sharp spade to dig down into the soil on one of the fields to be used. As I put the spade on top of the soil to hedge it in before I jumped on the spade everyone started to chuckle. The spade wouldn’t go into the ground at all, the soil was that hard. I jumped and jumped on the spade but to no avail, the spade would only go in a maximum of 2 inches, that’s it, that’s all! I then used the spade as a pick axe trying to CHIP pieces of the soil off so that I could go down to get a sample. The soil flew apart as if it were actual cement, pieces flying here and there while everyone was having a good laugh. Finally, after about 10 minutes of hard work I was able to go down about 10 inches where I took chips of soil as our sample. It was concluded at that point that there was no need to take any further samples as Alex verified the fact that the entire 110 acres was of the same consistency and soil type.
There were 4 fields that were to be used and none of them had any irrigation systems or any other means that could be used to water the fields other then tanker spraying (See attached picture). The fields were turned the year before after harvest and no nutrients or any type of conditioners were put on the soil.
THE SPECIFIC’S OF THE HEMP FIELD TEST
SEED TYPE: Industrial Hemp
SEED NAME: ANKA
SEED LOT#: 1329-176707
CROP CERTIFICATION #: 10-5001902-402
SUPPLIER OF SEED: Centre de Criblage Mr. Bercier Inc.
SEEDS PURCHASED;
Industrial Hemp Anka Cert#1……………………………52 sacs (55 lbs. ea)………..$165.00 a sac.
Industrial Hemp Anka Reg#1……………………………63 sacs (55 lbs. ea)………..$165.00 a sac.
OUR NUTRIENTS USED:
• Water Conditioner……………..5 X 4 gallon containers. (20 gallons)
Dosage Rate; 1 gallon of water conditioner to 100 gallons of water
Application; 20 gallons of mixed solution per acre.
(Water Conditioner supplied by D.S. United States)
• Humic/Fulvic/Seaweed Nutrients…………4 X 2 gallon containers. (8 gallons)
Dosage Rate; 20 ounces of H.F.S. nutrients to 100 gallons of water
Application; 20 gallons of mixed solution per acre.
(Nutrients supplied by E.A.S.E.)
• Well water…………………….as much as needed to fill 200 gallon
• Reservoir as many times as needed to spray entire 110 acres once with water conditioner and nutrients mixed.
Alex had an artesian well which had been on the farm since it was built more than 150 years ago. Natural well water was used in all watering, without any synthetic chlorine.
OUR TECHNOLOGIES USED:
• 1 The technology that drives the P.W.R device fitted on the main outflow hose of the sprayer tank.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE LIQUID CONDITIONER AND NUTRIENTS before SEEDING
The test fields were sprayed 1 week prior to seeding with the solutions as stipulated above using a 200-gallon field sprayer with a 30-foot arm reach (15 feet on each side of tanker), pulled by a John Deer farm tractor. This occurred in the second week of June, 2011.
The field was seeded 1 week after the solutions were applied. It rained for 3 days straight after seeding which was a miracle for us since the solutions used are water activated. We had no other way of watering the fields except for rain as Alex the farmer became extremely busy at his wood mill and would not have been able to follow up with a MANDATORY watering to activate the soil conditioner and nutrients applied.
ON GOING OBSERVATIONS FROM THE THIRD WEEK OF JUNE TILL HARVEST (3rd. Week of Sept)
From the time of seeding, following the 3 days of constant rain the Hemp crop took off and was 12 inches high after only 2 weeks. This was remarkable to us back in Montreal and even Alex was truly in awe of what he saw daily in the fields. He could not believe that daily he would see a difference in the appearance of the fields green coverage due to the rapidly growing hemp plants. From our research we knew that if the conditions for Hemp were favorable, the Hemp plant itself would grow much faster than any weed thus gaining control of the soil, creating an umbrella effect, blocking out the sun to undermine the growth of other weeds competing for the same ground. This had happened and we were all ecstatic. Alex himself was so pleased that he invited Marc Bercier (the seed planter and supplier) to come and visit the fields.
When Mr. Bercier arrived he informed Alex that he had never seen this type of remarkable growth and that the nutrients he applied to his fields could not possibly be anything of an organic nature as he himself was a promoter of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides (Monsanto Round-Up) and fungicides. Mr. Bercier was totally in disbelief and would not accept Alex’s methods as being plausible or practical, from his experience. He did however tell Alex that from what he was observing a BUMPER CROP was attainable and that if the plants continued growing in this fashion he would like to be informed to monitor the fields for his own information and curiosity.
Then it happened…………the DROUGHT OF ALL DROUGHTS. From the first 3 days of rain after the seeding in the third week of June there was no rain to be seen for 55 days straight. This can be confirmed by contacting the Ontario Metrological Board and ask for the weather statistics for this time period back in 2011. The Hemp held fast but slowed down dramatically in its growth. Then the foxtail and other weed types began to flourish and grow to the same height of the Hemp plants (See photos). The sun was steady and strong and our once fantastic, remarkable Hemp project was at a standstill. Both the Hemp and weeds stopped growing and just baked in the hot summer sun. When rain finally came it was too little too late. The hemp field reached only a height of 3 feet and flowered.
ANOTHER COMPLICATION
When we heard what was happening in Ontario to the Hemp fields it was not long before myself and the head grower from the Medical Cannabis Lab headed over to Ontario to document what had transpired.
When we entered one of the main accessible fields and walked into the field we noticed that the Hemp plant was both male and female, having both pollen from the male and female seed sites. We did not know this prior to the experiment and figured that there would be a smaller number of male plants (15% is optimum) to a larger number of seed producing female plants, since that is what we are harvesting for, seeds! Since this was not the case we knew immediately that the cone heads usual to a Hemp plant where the seeds are harvested from would be much smaller since the plant shared both sexes. Hence, less flowering sites, less seeds.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS
CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING FACTS;
• Monsanto land for 20 years, meaning totally depleted soil.
• Late planting, 3rd. Week of June rather than 3rd. Week of May (1 month behind, 30 days)
• No rain for 55 days straight.
• Wrong seed types, instead of normal male/female plantation, we were sold hybridized seeds of an inferior gene.
At harvest time, once all was done our total harvest ranked 40% as to the normal for that year. This included all of the Ontario farms where a vast majority of them DID RECEIVE normal precipitation for that growing year! (Also verifiable from the Ontario Growers Association and the Ontario Board of Metrological Statistics)
Even though our harvest was low it was truly remarkable for all the variables that MUST BE CONSIDERED.
A VERY INTERESTING OBSERVATION:
During the course of that summer the Team that worked with me on the project visited the site four times to document the experiment with pictures. Every time we went we would notice that small spots in a particular field would be abnormally higher (3 times in height) than the rest of the field. Time and time we recorded this anomaly and took many photos of these spots. Back in Montreal we would examine the photos taken and discuss as to why this could be occurring in only specific spots. In these spots the Hemp plants were very tall, extremely healthy, very deep green in color and had very large seed sites.
What was the variable that was evading us? What was the break in the constant as compared to the rest of the fields?
We started analyzing the placement of these spots as to the sun intensity, maybe they were shaded……….No, that wasn’t it, cause all the unusual grow spots were right out in the middle of the fields. But with that assumption we did look at all the fields and did notice that those rows of Hemp plants that were alongside of tree breaks in the fields did fair much better than those that were out in the sun directly. So shade did have an effect as to strengthening the integrity and well doing of the growth of the Hemp plant. This was the key to finding our evading variable.
On our next visit, we walked right out into the fields to one of the spots and stood in amongst the Hemp plants and realized that the soil was softer and damp. The plants themselves were 7-8 feet high, much taller than the rest of the fields measuring 3 feet. Once we bent down and touched the soil we knew that the secret hidden from us was none other than life giving WATER!!! In the fields there were natural sources that were giving water to the Hemp plants all summer long despite the lack of rain.
This proved unequivocally, without a shadow of doubt that WATER was the missing link. Had our fields received an ample amount of rainfall or an ample amount of water from other means then our WATER ACTIVATED SOIL PROTOCOL would have given us a bumper crop even with all of the other negative soil conditions.
IN CONCLUSION
The experiment in a reverse manner proved our hypothesis, OUR SOIL PROTOCOL WORKS even under poor parameters as long as we have along side of it life giving WATER!!!
END…….
ADDENDUM
ANOTHER PROOF THAT WE DID SOMETHING TO THE SOIL
In the following spring of 2012, Alex the farmer rented out his land as in the past, to soya bean growers. All Alex had time to do in the past hemp harvest year was pull in the harvest, no turning the soil, no added nutrients, nothing was done to prepare for the following years crop which was to be soya bean. Even the old stocks from the hemp plants were left on the field after the combines harvested the hemp.
That winter of 2011-2012 was a moderate snowfall. Remember now, our soil protocol is water activated. This is why we ask those who use our soil protocol to put on one of our major soil conditioners in the fall time after harvest for the next year crop. In this way once the snow melts in the spring, the water enters the ground and begins its process of “soil activation”.
When the soya bean grower was planting he complained to Alex that the field was not prepared and that this would probably affect the growth of the soya crop in a negative way.
About 6 weeks after the soya bean crop was planted 2 of our research group members headed off to Ontario to pick up the device as we had left it there from the past year. When they arrived, Alex asked them to come and take a look at the hemp fields we used in the previous year as now they were full of soya bean and the fields that we used were comparably different to other fields across the road that WE DID NOT use. The men walked to the field and could not believe their eyes. On one side of the road was our old hemp field with soya bean, on the other side soya bean as well that belonged to his neighbor. Both fields were basically the same, planted by the same seeder, etc., but both fields were completely different with the growth of the soya. Our old fields that were used for hemp the year before were completely covered with soya; you could not see the ground. The other side of the road also had soya but it was sparse and bare. Our side, the soya leaves were 50% larger than the leaves across the road. Our leaves were dark green, lush/thick and juicy as compared to the other side which were pale green/yellow, thin and dry. As well all the weeds on Alex’s side were alive and well, the other side there was no weeds. (Also proves our protocol detoxifies the soil from herbicides and returns it to its natural form quickly).
As harvest time came and went for the soya fields it was told to us from Alex the farmer that the soya he harvested from our old hemp fields where we used our soil protocol was the best he had seen in 15 years and outperformed the other soya fields more than double.
Was the difference due to our soil protocol that we used the year before on those fields? The answer to us is an obvious, YES!!!
The fields & individual plants to compare—truly amazing!!!)