b'HEMP VARIETY TRIALSFirst Hemp Variety Trials Take Place in AlbertaResults from the trials are meant to help expand the hemp fibre industry across Canada.HEMP HAS BEENgrown in Alberta since the 1990s when theIn 2022, Canadian Rockies Hemp Corp. (CRHC) and Alberta crop was first legalized for production. In that time, the acreage hashemp producers decided to focus on identifying hemp fibre increased but the crop has been held back due to lack of researchvarieties suitable for growing in Alberta. This was necessary to grow into fibre processing.the industry and increase revenues for Alberta farmers. Prior to Growing hemp for fibre has had limited opportunities in CanadaCRHCs Bruderheim Decortication Facility in Bruderheim, Alta., for many years. Despite Alberta emerging as one of the largestthere were no decortication capacity in Canada and, as a result, producers of hemp in Canada for the last decade, the primary focusthere were limited fibre varieties available for farmers. has been on grain production. Farmers growing hemp for grainNot only were fibre varieties of hemp not commercially available combine the hemp seed and leave hemp bales in their fields due toto producers, but they were also being phased out because farmers a lack of buyers. The limiting factor in the fibre market has beengrowing hemp for grain had issues with fibre wrapping around lack of processing (decortication) facilities for processing the straw,combine headers. The industry recognized that in order to expand which is the key to completing the hemp fibre supply chain.hemp fibre as a broad acre rotational crop in the province, there was a need for both experienced agronomy knowledge and specialized fiber varieties. Field of hemp.PHOTO: CANADIAN ROCKIES HEMP CORP.28seed.ab.ca'