Workers put hemp plants in the ground alongside of Shawn Harris June 18 at a farm in Warsaw. Staff photo by Michael Caterina
WARSAW — An old tractor creeps down the plastic-covered rows of a farm field just outside the city.
It’s a rare dry day in June, and the 35-acre parcel is one of Don Zolman’s best pieces of property — especially this year when so many farmers have found it nearly impossible to get their crops in because of the soggy conditions.
As the tractor slowly makes its way down the row, it pulls an apparatus with a large wheel that punches a hole through the plastic and into the soil while also delivering a large squirt of fertilizer and water. Two men suspended on seats at the back of the machine grab little plants from a flat and drop them in the hole along with some soil.
A few other people follow the tractor ensuring each baby plant is properly seated in the soil as they move down the row.
This is all new to those working the field.
“We normally plant at about 20 to 25 acres per hour,” said Zolman, referring to the speed he can plant his 3,500 acres of corn and soybean with modern farm equipment. “This is more like an acre per hour.”
But these little plants are a variety of hemp that have been developed for their CBD or cannabidiol content — a compound that is now being used to provide relief from pain, anxiety, sleep problems, epilepsy and other issues.
They’re expensive, ranging in price from about $4 to $10, according to Jamie Petty, co-founder of the Midwest Hemp Council, an advocacy group based in Indianapolis.
Zolman estimated that his plants represent an investment of more than $300,000, but he was able to spread out some of his risk in a unique partnership with a private investor as well as the plant supplier.
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