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2 CapitalPress.com Friday, December 21, 2018 People & Places Growing hemp to scale EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER Established 1928 Justin and Jake Bordessa help farmers grow new crop Board of Directors Western Innovator By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press TANGENT, Ore. — Large bales of tightly wrapped hemp sit in a barn outside Tangent, Ore., in the Mid-Willamette Val- ley, where brothers Jus- tin and Jake Bordessa store this year’s crop until it can be dried and sold to one of a growing number of proces- sors around the state. Hemp production is on the rise in Oregon, with 584 growers and 212 handlers currently registered under the state’s Industrial Hemp Pro- gram. The program started in 2016, with 70 licensed grow- ers and 53 handlers by the end of the year. Now with the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp at the federal level — open- ing farms to crop insurance, banking and interstate com- merce — Justin Bordessa expects even greater demand that will require farms grow on a much bigger scale. “Most people who are farming hemp right now, they’re doing it on 20-, 30-, 40- or 50-acre plots. There’s very few people doing 100- and 200-acre plots,” he said. Realizing the challenges of growing hemp at scale, Justin and Jake together formed Hemp Ag Solutions in early 2017, providing farm services tailored to the young and still undeveloped industry. For example, hemp is tra- ditionally harvested by hand, taking days — if not weeks — to work through larger fields. At the same time, the crop must be hung and dried right away to ensure quality, limiting how much farms can capably grow without risking losses. Hemp Ag Solutions com- bines mechanical harvest- ing and baling to efficiently manage large acreages. The company harvested 280 acres at nine farms this year in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon, along with 25 acres at the brothers’ own farm, where they test agri- Justin and Jake Bordessa Owners: Hemp Ag Solu- tions Founded: 2017 Location: Tangent, Ore. Size: 178 acres (100 tillable) Crop: Industrial hemp George Plaven/Capital Press Brothers Justin Bordessa, left, and Jake Bordessa established Hemp Ag Solutions in Tangent, Ore., in January 2017. The company strives to provide grower services for hemp farmers that will allow the industry to grow more acres and meet demand. cultural practices and plant genetics. If farmers wanted to grow 100 acres of hemp on their own, Jake Bord- essa estimates it would take an up-front investment of $750,000. Hemp Ag Solu- tions can greatly reduce the cost, he said, offering knowl- edge and resources to open the door for expansion. “We’re trying to create structure among the Wild West within the industry,” Jake Bordessa said. Coming to Oregon Justin and Jake Bordessa came to Oregon from Cali- fornia, where they grew up in Petaluma, an agricultural community surrounded by dairies, vegetable farms and vineyards in Sonoma County. Working with their father at his construction com- pany, Justin learned how how to build farm struc- tures and later received his own contractor’s license. After California’s medical marijuana program started, the demand to build indoor growing systems peaked and became a good source of business after the housing crash. Justin Bordessa said he became familiar with the process of growing canna- bis through that experience. He was especially interested in the potential of hemp — a close cousin of marijuana, but with no more than 0.3 percent of tetrahydrocannab- inol, or THC, the psychoac- tive component in cannabis that gets users high. Hemp can be used to make materials like paper, fiber and plastic, though the bulk of demand now is driven by cannabinoid, or CBD, extract, which can be used to make a variety of hemp-in- fused products such as mints, drinks and oils. According to research from New Frontier Data, the U.S. CBD indus- try grew nearly 40 percent in 2017, reaching $367 million in sales. Health claims for CBD include pain relief, lowering anxiety and depression and helping to reduce seizures. “Right now, everybody is just growing for CBD,” Jus- tin said. “But down the line, once that market is saturated and filled up, it’s going to open up people to be farm- ing for the fibers. ... That’s what excites me, is getting to the building materials where they start building planks and boards out of hemp fibers and resins.” Jake Bordessa went on to earn a degree in business economics from the Univer- sity of California-Santa Bar- bara. He stayed in touch with Justin, and the brothers saw a business opportunity with hemp as a sustainable com- modity with multiple uses that was quickly gaining fed- eral support. “As we saw the indus- try develop, we saw oppor- tunity to bring our resources together,” Jake said. House Bill 4060 created the Oregon Industrial Hemp Program in 2016, and one year later the state passed a law allowing processors to make CBD products. Around the same time, Justin and Jake were looking for land with the right combination of fertility, climate and water, landing on 178 acres in the Mid-Willamette Valley. “Obviously the law was influential, but we consid- ered all aspects,” Justin said. “Hemp likes the environment here.” Grower solutions As Justin and Jake grew their first hemp crop in 2017, they quickly began to realize where the bottlenecks were to scaling up production. The first year, Justin said it took them 40 days to harvest 13-14 acres by hand. Most of the region’s industrial dryers were also tied up during the fall with other crops, forcing them to leave 7 acres in the field. “Now you’re panicking, because you spent all this money to grow this hemp and there’s nowhere to put it,” he said. The solution, they deter- mined, was in mechaniza- tion. This year, the brothers switched to using a forage harvester, which allowed them to cut down 25 acres in Employees: Five full-time, plus seasonal Services: Grower solutions, harvesting and baling just 12 hours — a fraction of the time it took to hand-har- vest. They also purchased an imported compactor, which compressed the crop into 700-pound bales without oxygen to prevent molding and decomposition. Justin Bordessa said the equipment has been a “game changer,” allowing the crop to be quickly harvested, stored and available to dry 24/7. “If you’re growing a hemp field and you walk through your acreage and you’re looking at it as hand-harvest- ing, you know there’s a limit to what you can grow,” Jus- tin said. “Now you watch the machine go through the field and chop it, watch- ing your harvest go down in hours, you realize this can be taken to the thousands of acres, where before there was no possible way for that to happen.” Hemp Ag Solutions has also partnered with Amer- ican Hemp Seed Genetics, of Salem, Ore., to perfect strains of hemp best suited to the environment and farm- ing practices. Of 33,000 seed starts, they have since whit- tled it down to the four best plants and began growing clones this year. Jerry Norton, the hemp breeder who founded Amer- ican Hemp Seed Genetics, said he is excited about the partnership, and believes they are well-positioned to help grow the industry. Perrydale FFA-led effort collects 175 tons of food for needy By GEOFF PARKS For the Capital Press The Perrydale High School FFA chapter’s col- lection efforts this year brought in 175 tons of food that will brighten the holi- days for needy families from Coos Bay to La Grande. The 21-year-old Food for All community service pro- gram, coordinated for the past four years by founder and retired Perrydale ag adviser Kirk Hutchin- son, and aided by Christina Lorenz, Perrydale High’s FFA adviser. The tiny school is 16 miles northwest of Salem. The students set a goal of collecting 350,000 pounds of locally produced fruits and vegetables this year. The products are pack- aged in individual plastic bags containing potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, celery carrots squash apples, Geoff Parks/For the Capital Press Perrydale School FFA Adviser Christine Lorenz, left, helps students Jasmine Richert, center, and Courtney Reed, right, pack individual produce bags into a tote for delivery to needy families during the school’s Food for All event. sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and other ag products grown by Perrydale High School and the nine other FFA chapters of the Lower Willamette FFA District. This year, Echo High of the Blue Mountain District is also taking part, as well as newcomer Newberg High. “We’re always collecting more and varied food from our packing warehouses,” said Hutchinson, noting that this year the program also netted 4,000 pounds of grapes. Sometimes the gener- osity of the producers is eye-opening. “We went to get 6,000 pounds of apples from Heri- tage Farms and they gave us 20,000,” he said. In addition to the Wil- lamette Valley, the food is trucked to several areas of the state as far-flung as Coos Bay, La Grande and Pendle- ton, said Hutchinson. “Every local community gets all that they ask for,” he said. Along with collecting, packing and shipping all that food, an increase in ton- nage means an increase in the workload on the FFA kids. “I don’t think we are going to be able to take in much more product,” Lorenz said on Dec. 10, close to the wrap-up of collection efforts, “just because of our capacity.” Lorenz said her job with the program is to “facilitate the student leadership com- ponent of Food for All and organize the students and train them for the experience. This program works well with Perrydale’s Ag Business curriculum.” In addition to the hard physical work, the students receive less tangible but more soul-building benefits, she said. One of her older, more experience FFA students — designated one of 12 Food for All “ambassadors” for his three-year role in guiding the collection and distribution efforts for the chapter — is Spencer Van Beurden, 16. “As ambassadors, we are the first to go out each year and give presentations, see what’s happening,” Van Beurden said. Food for All two-year Ambassador Ashton Ball, 16, dug even deeper into the more personal reasons he believes the program is important: “Last year we went down to Coos Bay to a giant hangar at the airport that was filled with the food we had stored there and unloaded it down- town,” he said. “And all day long we had long lines of cars come through and we spent the day giving out giant boxes of food to doz- ens of families. “Just to see the people’s faces, it made their year — and mine, too,” he said. “Just to see how you change these people’s lives each year is great and shows why this is such an important program.” Calendar Friday, Dec. 28 Farm Image and Public Re- lations Workshop: 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., OSU Extension Ser- vice, Marion County, 1320 Capitol St. NE, Salem. Attendees will learn cost-effective strategies that will save time and give professional results; help them find more op- portunities for media coverage, train them in the latest social me- dia trends including Instagram, and why e-newsletters are still one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. Opera- tions of all sizes will find value in attending, including farms, food processors, nurseries/garden centers and wineries who sell di- rectly to consumers. There is no charge for admission for produc- ers and value-added operators. Registration is required by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21. Tuesday, Jan. 8 Cropping Systems Confer- ence: Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. The convention will feature six keynote sessions plus six education tracks and an ex- hibitors’ showcase. http://www. d i re c t s e e d. o rg / e ve nt s / a n n u - al-conference. Eastern Washington Ag Expo: TRAC Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. The Expo features nearly 100 exhibitors and semi- nars, plus sessions with pesticide recertification credits available. http://www.EasternWAagExpo. com. Wednesday, Jan. 9 Cropping Systems Confer- ence: Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. The convention will feature six keynote sessions plus six education tracks and an ex- hibitors’ showcase. http://www. d i re c t s e e d. o rg / e ve nt s / a n n u - al-conference. Eastern Washington Ag Expo: TRAC Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. The Expo features nearly 100 exhibitors and semi- nars, plus sessions with pesticide recertification credits available. http://www.EasternWAagExpo. com. Thursday, Jan. 10 69th Annual Oregon Mint Growers Meeting: Salishan Re- sort, 7760 US-101, Gleneden Beach. Attendees will hear the latest on the mint industry. Pes- ticide recertification credits have been applied for. http://oregon- mint.org. Friday, Jan. 11 69th Annual Oregon Mint Growers Meeting: Salishan Re- sort, 7760 US-101, Gleneden Beach. Attendees will hear the latest on the mint industry. Pes- ticide recertification credits have been applied for. http://oregon- mint.org. 2019 American Farm Bu- reau Federation Convention and IDEA Trade Show: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd., New Or- leans. The Farm Bureau’s annual national meeting. http://www. fb.org/events/afbf-annual-con- vention/. Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Harrison Forrester Mike Omeg Cory Bollinger Jeff Rogers Corporate Officers Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer Rick Hansen Chief Financial Officer Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell ... Advertising Director Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor Jessica Boone ............ 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Capital Press ag media CapitalPress.com FarmSeller.com MarketPlace.capitalpress.com facebook.com/CapitalPress facebook.com/FarmSeller twitter.com/CapitalPress youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo Index Dairy .....................................................11 Livestock ...............................................11 Opinion ...................................................6 Markets .................................................13 Correction A page 2 article in the Dec. 14 Capital Press incorrectly stated that LaGrande Family Foods Group plants 500,000 acres to rice each year. That is the approxi- mate total acreage of rice for milling planted in California. The Capital Press regrets the error.