A Day in the Life of a Hemp Farmer
Have you ever wondered how hemp is grown? Hemp cultivation has grown in Britain and across the world as demand for CBD products has increased. Hemp farming lies at the centre of the CBD industry—but is heavily regulated. Remember how we always suggest in this blog to buy CBD products from organic hemp? That’s because hemp cleans polluted soils with its deep roots. So, hemp farmers need to be careful about how they grow their industrial hemp, when they harvest it, and how to stay within the regulations set by the state.
From dawn to dusk, their work involves a combination of agricultural science, sustainability practices, and hands-on labour to grow a healthy crop and a high-quality harvest. Here is a fact-based look into the life of a hemp farmer.
First things first: licensing
To grow industrial hemp in the UK, you need to apply for a controlled-drugs domestic licence. According to data referring to 2024, licences for hemp cultivation cost £580 and are valid for three growing seasons.
Now that you have your licence, it’s time to sow the seeds and become a hemp farmer. Let’s see what that means. Industrial hemp is an annual plant, which means it needs to be replanted every year from seed.
In the northern hemisphere, hemp is planted in May or early June and takes 90 to 120 days to reach maturity, when it’s ready to be harvested. So, hemp’s growing season is in late spring and throughout summer, and it’s harvested in early autumn.
Early Morning: Monitoring and Planning
A hemp farmer’s day often begins early, with the first light of dawn.
Mornings are spent walking through the fields to inspect the plants. Farmers look for signs of pests, diseases, or nutrient deficiencies, such as discoloration or curling leaves. This routine monitoring is important because hemp plants are highly sensitive to their environment. Hemp grows best in neutral to slightly acidic soils and likes well-draining soil.
Farmers may also use tools like soil pH meters and moisture sensors to assess the soil’s condition, for optimal plant growth.
Another important morning task involves checking weather forecasts. Hemp plants thrive in well-drained soil with plenty of sunlight, but extreme weather—from heavy rain to droughts—can harm the crop. Farmers often adjust irrigation schedules or take precautionary measures based on the weather.
Midday: Irrigation, Nutrient Management, and Field Work
As the day progresses, farmers focus on hands-on care for their crops. Hemp needs to be watered precisely, as too much water can cause root rot, while too little can stress the plants and reduce CBD production. Many hemp farms now use drip irrigation systems, which deliver water directly to the plant roots while conserving resources.
Farmers may also apply organic fertilizers or amendments to the soil, such as compost or natural minerals, to provide essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This step supports healthy growth, particularly during the vegetative stage of the plant’s life cycle.
Since CBD is found in flowers and leaves, farmers focus on growing hemp plants with rich, abundant, and healthy flowers. So, midday activities often include pruning the plants to remove lower leaves and branches. This improves airflow, reduces the risk of mould, and encourages the plant to focus its energy on producing cannabinoid-rich flowers.
Afternoon: Record-Keeping and Compliance
A hemp farmer’s job is demanding because they need to grow the plant and keep up with regulations and legal requirements.
In the United Kingdom, hemp must contain less than 0.2% THC per dry weight to remain legal. Growing hemp is challenging because THC develops as the plant matures. Therefore, farmers must frequently test their crops for THC levels, often working with third-party labs for maximum accuracy. If they see that THC levels are reaching the legal threshold, farmers often choose to harvest their crop, or it would be illegal for them to sell the flowers and leaves for CBD production.
Hemp farmers must also check that their female plants are not getting pollinated. To have a good crop of hemp flowers, farmers plant female plants. They must check that no male plants are lingering around as these will pollinate the female plants, which will produce seeds, rather than flowers. Since farmers are after flowers rather than seeds, they need to protect their crops.
Finally, they track crop performance. Modern hemp farms often use technology like drones for aerial imaging or apps for field management. These tools help farmers identify patterns, such as areas with poor growth, and make data-driven decisions to improve yields.
Evening: Harvest Preparation or Post-Harvest Processing
As the growing season progresses towards harvest, evenings may involve preparations like checking drying facilities or organizing harvesting equipment. Hemp flowers, which are used for CBD extraction, must be handled with care to preserve their cannabinoid and terpene profiles.
Harvesting is done when the plants are at peak maturity, which requires close observation of trichome development—tiny resin glands on the flowers that indicate cannabinoid content.
For farmers in the post-harvest stage, evenings may involve drying and curing the hemp. This process often takes place in well-ventilated barns or specialized facilities, where flowers are hung to dry in controlled conditions. Proper drying and curing preserve the plant’s quality and lower the chances of the flowers developing mould.
Challenges and Rewards
We talked about hemp growing, and yet UK regulation states that hemp farmers can’t actually use the flowers from their hemp crop! Instead, they must destroy the precious flowers and only use the fibre and stalks for other purposes, such as to make paper, textiles, and other materials.
On the one hand, British hemp farmers have an easier job as they don’t need to monitor whether male plants have infiltrated their crops. They also don’t have to be so meticulous about the quality and size of the flowers, as these will be discarded anyway.
However, British hemp growers are missing out on an immense opportunity to sell their products. Hemp flowers are more lucrative than the fibre or stalks. Still, between 2013 and 2023, hemp growing licences increased from 6 to 136, which means that British farmers are seeing opportunities in hemp growing, even if it’s not for the flowers and leaves.
Hemp farming can be challenging because of the regulations that are attached to its cultivation. Pest management, in particular, can be tricky, as hemp farmers often avoid synthetic pesticides to maintain organic certifications.
Yet the rewards are equally significant. Hemp farmers take pride in contributing to a sustainable and versatile crop with applications ranging from wellness products to textiles and bioplastics.
What’s more, hemp is an amazing carbon-retaining plant, as it absorbs twice the amount of CO2 that trees do. In a world where we are looking for ways to capture and absorb CO2, hemp is a solid contender.
Growing industrial hemp
A day in the life of a hemp farmer is anything but ordinary. It combines agricultural expertise, hard work, and innovation, all aimed at growing a plant with incredible potential. Legal limitations and requirements make hemp farming more complicated than other crops. Checking for THC levels, for example, can be stressful as THC levels higher than 0.2% can destroy a whole crop.
Likewise, British hemp farmers have to contend with legal requirements asking them to destroy the flowers of their hemp crop. This diminishes the effort they put into their work as well as the potential gains they could be making.
Hemp farmers are dedicated and meticulous. With CBD taking over the world, it’s good to remember how CBD is produced and the whole journey that transforms a humble plant into the CBD products we have come to rely on.
Hemp is a versatile plant and can be grown under many conditions. China, France, Italy, Canada, and India have become major hemp producers. Hemp will grow in many soils and has few requirements, which is how its cultivation has spread across the world.
As industrial hemp has made a revival in the past years, technology is supporting hemp cultivation. Aside from CBD production, hemp is used for bioplastics, materials, construction materials, textiles and paper. New horizons are opening up for British hemp farmers and the agricultural world in general.
We can only hope that UK legislation will soon catch up with the times and free our farmers to use hemp’s precious flowers rather than destroying them.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in CBD products, look for full-spectrum products with batch testing and clear labelling. Buy from reliable and trusted brands and check out CBD oil reviews and our list of the best UK CBD stores to be sure that the CBD you purchase is as pure and effective as possible.
Nicholas Rossis, PhD is a specialized, NSF-trained writer who has written hundreds of posts on CBD and nutritional supplements. His work combines critical acclaim with the analysis of the latest news, studies, research, and legal developments in the world of CBD, providing readers with valuable data and insights.
