English | Français

Farming »

Because hemp is classified taxonomically as Cannabis sativa, Canada's hemp production is tightly regulated by Health Canada. Producers and manufacturers who want to work with hemp must obtain licenses from Ottawa.

Health Canada license forms and information are located online here.

Producers are only allowed to plant certified seed -- there is no "common" seed. All hemp planted must be an approved variety, all of which have less than 0.3% THC in them in field. (Contact Health Canada for annual seed list).

Most seeds that Canadian farmers work with are of European origin. The most popular oilseed varieties include USO -14 & Finola. Canadian-bred cultivars, adapted to local growing conditions and having more most desirable and marketable qualities, are now emerging. These include varieties from Ontario (Anka) and Saskatchewan (CRAG).

All hemp everywhere is GMO-Free. Production of Certified Organic hemp seed has only just begun.

In 2007, Health Canada licensed about 4,800 hectares of hemp production in Canada. While there has been activity in all parts of the country, recent hemp production has been concentrated in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

While hemp has a reputation for being easy-to-grow, harvesting the taller, high fibre yielding varieties has been challenging for some operators. In regards to fibre, industrial infrastructure to process the fibre is just being established. However, there are no lack of facilities for processing the seed. While fibre hemp has large potential, hemp production to date has necessarily been geared on the seed side.

There are no registered pesticides or herbicides associated with hemp, and the crop can be grown chemical free. The market is very sensitive to this issue. A good part of Canada's hemp production is Certified Organic. The highest seed yield recorded to date has topped 2000 lbs per acre; an average yield is between 600- 800 lbs an acre, but rising. Farmers and researchers are working on optimum crop rotations that would give hemp the best yields and promote healthy soil for the future. Ongoing breeding programs are also working on boosting yields.

Some excellent crop guides for cultivating hemp have been published by several provincial ag departments:

Important Notice on Seed

It is a requirement of Industrial Hemp Regulations that all commercial hemp crops be planted only using Certified Seed. Seed saving and the use of Common Seed are currently NOT allowed under current regulations. Seed Merchants must provide valid Certified Seed Tags to Farmers: Farmers and Processors must be able to provide valid Certified Seed Tags to Inspectors on request. Keeping good records on seed sue helps protect quality in the hemp industry, acting as a check against the emergence of less than desirable genetic traits, such as THC content, population of males and the protection of valued genetic ones, such as oil, protein, and EFA content.