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Crop rotation is a practice that has been cultivated by farmers for centuries. It was farmers in the Waasland region (present-day Belgium) who first pioneered a four-field rotation in the early 16th century, and the British agriculturalist, Charles Townshend, who popularised the system in the early 18th.
Yet crop rotation dwindled in developed nations in the 1950s as farmers realised they could maintain high-yield monoculture crops by applying newly developed chemical concoctions of fertilisers, pesticides and weed killers to their fields. This form of nature-stripping agriculture became the norm in many parts of the world. But we now know – all too well – that this method of yield optimisation comes at a high price.
Many farmers have since returned to ye old farming practices in attempts to farm in line with nature and return some vitality to their lands and soils. One of these traditional (and climate-smart) farming practices is crop rotation: rotating crops each season to help maintain soil nutrient levels, keep land fertile and increase future land yields. There are a number of favoured cover-crops: wheat, clover, legumes.
We’re here to tell you why hemp is the supreme cover crop – and why you should probably start growing it on your farm (if you haven’t already).
Less reliance on fertilisers and pesticides AND fewer pests and weeds
All hail hemp the natural weed defeater. Hemp is an extremely effective weed suppressor – and it’s something it does all on its own. It requires no chemicals, making it a low maintenance crop that’s better for the land and the farmer.
The plant’s massive root complex is a guard against weeds and a natural soil preparation for the next crop. A typical crop of hemp will shade out weeds and leave the field weed – and chemical – free at harvest time.
Even better, most varieties of hemp are naturally resistant to insect pests and predators. Again, negating the need for pest killers – and meaning your field can become a pollinators paradise.
The Rodale Institute team on their experimental farm in Pennsylvania – organic agriculture research pioneers – incorporated hemp as a rotational crop to test some of the benefits. They found as the years went on, the agronomic impacts of including hemp in a crop rotation seemed to compound. Not only were weeds reduced while the hemp was grown, but this was a continued effect: the reduction of weeds carried on into the next growing seasons. It also meant less herbicides and drastically improved soil health.
Restores and rebalances soil
One of the most miraculous things about hemp is what it does to the soil. As it grows, hemp restores and re-nourishes the land. It adds nutrients like potassium and nitrates – and its incredibly long roots reach far down sharing these nutrients with many layers of the earth.
Hemp also detoxifies the soil, removing metals and other unwanted soil contaminants – a process called phytoremediation. Why is hemp such a good plant for this? One: it’s fast-growing so it absorbs more toxins in a shorter space of time than other crops. Two: hemp plants have powerful, strong networks of taproots. Reaching deep underground, hemp plants can get to more of the contaminants in the soil – other plants only deal with the top few inches. Third: hemp remains completely unaffected by the toxins it absorbs. In fact, hemp plants thrive on contaminated soil – thriving where other plants would struggle surviving.
The long taproots are also beneficial in loosening compacted soil and increasing aeration and draining – all pertinent for soil health.
Hemp’s ability to clean and restore soil means many farmers use it before planting any other crops. It has even been proven to heal soil that has been polluted by radiation. Scientists have tested hemp’s ability to remove radioactive chemicals from soil around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, and have been successful.
The fast grower
Hemp tends to grow as an 80 to 120 day crop, maturing in just 3-4 months, and making it one of the fastest maturing plants in the world. This gives farmers plenty of time in spring to get seeds in the ground in order for them to establish themselves before winter sets in (one of the chief priorities in crop rotations). Fibre hemp is usually ready to harvest 70 to 90 days after seeding. This makes it an ideal ground cover crop.
So hemp grows faster than other cover crops, cleans and aerates the soil, and requires less water and less inputs. Pretty perfect, we’d say.
The cherry on the cake: a lucrative cover crop
What’s more hemp is a lucrative cash crop. It can be grown and harvested quickly; it consistently produces high yields; and industrial hemp has countless end-markets (requiring less licencing than using it for CBD or medicinal products).
Many ground cover crops aren’t profitable – but hemp IS. It’s also a pretty versatile crop in the market, with thousands of uses for its seed, oil and fiber. Hemp can be used to make textiles, building materials, livestock feed and bedding, paper products, bioplastics, and so much more.
All of this means that incorporating hemp on farms as a rotational crop can improve both the livelihoods and lands of farmers.