Hough Fights for Hemp Foods
Now that Australian the province of New South Whales has legalized hemp farming, the CEO of Australian hemp lobby and research company Hemp Resources, Kim Hough, is wasting no time in pushing the envelope. You see, even though it’s now legal to grow hemp for fiber, it is still illegal for Australians to consume hemp-food products. Mr. Hough, however, is riding the wave of Australian media buzz around the hemp farming law to push to have the ban on hemp-foods lifted. As TheWest.co.au reports:
Hemp Resources chief executive Kim Hough has written to his local MP and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith calling for an exemption from the Australian food standard which makes hemp foods illegal for human ingestion.
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Mr Hough said it was shortsightedness not to allow a valid industry that could be earning thousands of dollars every year. He said hemp protein foods and oils were highly nutritious because they were rich in proteins and the essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6.
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Mr Hough said the ban on the use of hemp in food products could also be contrary to Australia’s obligations as members of the World Trade Organisation. [...]
Unlike marijuana, hemp has no psychoactive properties. Consuming hemp-based foods, then, offers you a number of health benefits, such as an unparalleled balance of omega fatty acids (get some hemp recipes here).
Given the way things have progressed in Australia, it seem that Mr. Hough is probably on the right track. After all, we’re not talking about just some hippy-health-nut, here. Under Mr. Hough’s leadership, Hemp Resources recently conducted two successful hemp trials: one in China, and another in Australia. In other words, Mr. Hough is a competent businessman who is, for the most part, taking up a completely reasonable cause.
Tags: australia, hemp foods, hemp resources, Kim Hough
Australian Hemp Trials Update
Yesterday, we posted about how Hemp Resources, that recently conducted hemp trials in China, also concluded additional trials in its native Australia. Well, last night, the managing director and CEO of Hemp Resources dropped us a line with some additional insight into just how well the Australian trials went. Kim wrote:
The trials in Kununurra have been extremely promising to date and we’ve just managed to locate a decorticator for processing and separation of the fibre and hurd.
We’ve also produced over 6,000 kgs of parentage seed for re-planting next season so there’s an air of excitement about next season with the ability to process on a large scale, a real key factor.
So it truly does seem that whether or not there’s a change in Australian hemp laws (it is legal to grow industrial hemp, but not to consume it) hemp, Hemp Resources will be moving right ahead with another crop. More importantly, they have secured the resources process the fibers. That should significantly reduce the cost of selling the hemp for fiber.
Normally, the costs associated with having to outsource the fiber production and then ship the fibers to an additional third party can be rather high, especially on a continent as isolated as Australia. By processing the hemp themselves, however, Hemp Resources would seriously be cutting down on the volume of material that needs to be shipped — not to mention the total distance over which their crop has to travel before being ready to go to market.
Tags: australia, hemp fiber, hemp fibre, hemp resources, Kim Hough
Hemp Trial Conclude in Australia
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Australian based firm, Hemp Resources, that recently conducted hemp trials in China just concluded additional trials in its native country. It also seems that they went well enough that the firm is considering cultivating another crop next year, even though Australian law would prevent them from selling it in the country. As ABC.net.au reports:
Western Australia’s Ord Valley region has just wrapped up its first hemp harvest in nearly a decade, and the company involved in the trial says it will now look to plant 500 hectares next year.
Hemp hasn’t been grown in the Kimberley since an unsuccessful trial in 2000, and growers have mixed feelings about the crop’s value.
The story goes on to explain how Chief executive of Hemp Resources, Kim Hough, believes that the Australian law that prohibits the consumption of hemp will soon be changed, and if that change doesn’t come soon enough, Hemp Resources will simply look at exporting the seeds. Hemp Resources is both a company focused on developing sustainable business and lobbying for hemp in Australia. Here’s a picture of their team (click to enlarge).
Tags: australia, hemp resources, Kim Hough
Chinese Try Hemp in Tropical Climates
An Australian based firm, Hemp Resources, is preparing to harvest its first crop of industrial hemp grown in China. Although industrial hemp is already gown in China, the purpose of these trials is to determine how the plant copes in the country’s tropical regions. So far, the crop seems to be doing just fine. As The West Australian reports:
The Ord irrigation region has produced a variety of crops in its 45-year history, but few have attracted as much interest [...] as current trials of Chinese hemp.
Reaching 2m, the industrial crop was planted in June by Perth-based Hemp Resources to test its performance in the tropical region.
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Hemp Resources got permission last year from the State Government to import 70 million hemp seeds from China and has begun trials in Kununurra and the South-West.
Mr [Kim] Hough [managing director] said the growth of the southern Chinese variety, known as Yunma Four, on a Department of Agriculture and Food site had been impressive.
The crop was due to be cut and the seed harvested in about two weeks. Depending on final results, more widespread plantings are planned in the region next year.
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Industrial hemp crops are controlled under State legislation, with police and specially appointed inspectors able to enter and inspect properties, examine seed, plants or crops and remove them for testing.
Although industrial hemp is already grown in China, and valued for its food potential, it’s consumption is prohibited in Australia. Hemp resources, however, is lobbying to change Australian hemp laws.
Tags: australia, china, hemp resources, industrial hemp, tropical cultivation
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