When farming hemp for Hemp fibers, or cannabis for CBD and wanting a secondary market for the residual plant debris, the process that detaches the fibers from the stalks, branches and twigs is called "Retting". While two major types of retting including field retting and water + chemical retting,Yellowstone Compact & Commodities of Jackson Hole, Wyoming are introducing a third method where the decording fibers happens in an anaerobic environment and in 2000 lb bags.
In Field Retting or Dew Retting, this process is completed either by microorganisms present on the stems or in soil, acid/bases, or by special enzymes. In Canada they call it controlled rotting, which requires a farmer to oversee and properly manage the process so the soil microbes don't take their jobs too far and accidentally destroy the hemp fibers.
In Water Retting in tanks, barrels or ponds, after drying the plants and removing buds, seeds and leaves, the dried stalks (plant body's) are submerge for days to weeks in water that has either chlorine bleach or some other fungicide that prevent water-borne decaying microbes (bad guys). The water, penetrates into the stalk, swelling it up, which increases the water-borne microbe attacks of the good guys upon the connective tissue holding the fibers to the stalk. Retting time must be carefully judged; under-retting makes separation difficult, and over-retting weakens the fibers.
Some growers will attempt to dry the hemp for several months in areas prone to frequent participation or high humidity. Then they may go ahead with water retting. One draw back of water retting is that the "waste-retting water", requires treatment to eliminate harmful toxic elements before its release into the environment. Once decontamination is completed, the liquid has some nitrogen and disease spores and mycotoxins that can infect a future hemp crops if the waste water is used as a soil amendment.
Regardless of Retting technique, the BioPac'r now offers a new way of storing cannibal plant material before processing. BioPac'r® Founder Todd Graus has introduced this new process as Hempsiling™. The BioPac'r can be used to compress and package 2000 lbs. of plant material into our specialized storage bags. Our bags are made of a multi layered polymers that once sealed, creates an environment for anaerobic fermentation. This condition prevents odors and moisture from leaving the bags while preventing oxygen from penetrating into the bag while the microbes do what good guy microbes do in this environment, they detach the fibers from the stalk. This is probably a good time to tell everyone that I'm not an expert in Hemp, Hooch or hallucinogens and like President Bill Clinton, I've never inhaled willing so if I'm calling the parts of the hemp plant the wrong name, please correct me!
Anyway, The biomass can stay in the bags, unprocessed for over a year. By retting your hemp in 1-ton bags, the plants are pickled allowing for a high quality raw material processing at a non-peak harvest times allowing you to have your fibers removed from the chafe at a later date and at an arguably better price when the fall rush has slowed down. Hempsiling avoids peak processing periods by commercial retting companies.
So what about you CBD farmers? What do you do with the plant after you have picked the flowers? Consider Hempsiling the biomass to generate a secondary revenue source from the fiber or the product can be used a livestock feed. The biological process of Hempsiling degrades the residual CBD content to zero and gives the feed a shelf life of many years.
For more information contact us at Info@biopacr.com
Until Next Time !
