Hemp Farming in New Mexico
Part 1 : Planning & Planting

We are excited to announce our next Ag Talk . . . in conjunction with Salida Hemp Co. and Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos!

Thursday ~ May 16th ~ 1  to 5 pm

$10 per person (cash or local check only)

Juan I. Gonzales Agricultural Center
202 Chamisa Road ~ Taos, NM

This Ag Talk is the first in a series of Hemp Farming Workshops we will be hosting at the Ag Center in Taos, NM. Since hemp became legal at the state and federal level we have gotten loads of inquires from New Mexican farmers curious about growing this crop. And while we think it could be a lucrative endeavor, we are concerned about the lack of experience with hemp / cannabis farming on this scale. We want to provide down to earth and practical knowledge and support so farmers can make informed decisions about the reality of this crop before they get financially invested.

Below is our agenda. We are making this first event happen with only 2 weeks of planning, so bare with us while we update information as we have it. Future events are being planned now, so we’ll all have more time to prepare.

Agenda

  • 1:00 pm – Opening Remarks ~ Sam DesGeorges
  • 1:15 pm – Licensing and Regulation of Hemp Production in New Mexico ~ Brad Lewis
  • 2:30 pm – What to Know Before You Grow ~ Jae Sanders & Cole Kernstine
  • 3:30 pm- A Hemp Farmers’ Experience ~ Paula Berg & Becky Longberg
  • 4:30 pm – Q&A Session ~ All speakers
  • 5:00 – 7:00 pm – Happy Hour & Networking ~ Sagebrush Inn & Suites (right up Chamisa Rd, on Paseo del Pueblo Sur)

Sam DesGeorges

Opening Remarks

Sam retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His last project was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on AA-CT’s board, he is presently engaged as the Vice-Chairman of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, the Chairman of the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a Board Member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.

Brad Lewis

Licensing and Regulation of Hemp Production in New Mexico

Brad is the Director of Agriculture and Environmental Service for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. As part of his role, he is overseeing licensing and regulation of the hemp industry across New Mexico. He will present on what New Mexico is doing to encourage the development of the hemp industry in the state, on licensing and regulation of the industry, and field our many questions on the subject.

Paula Berg &
Becky Longberg

A Hemp Farm’s On-the-Ground Experience

Salida Hemp Company is a family run farm making small batch hemp products from our own harvest. We grow our hemp without pesticides and herbicides, allowing the plants to develop their own immunities and strengths in our rugged climate in southern Colorado, growing in clean, natural soil. Our goal is not to maximize the number of pounds of product per acre, but to maximize the natural healing potential of this astounding plant. We bought some of the first industrial hemp seeds cultivated in Colorado and began planting in 2015. Our talk will walk you through what we’ve learned during our four seasons of growing hemp for CBD.

Jae Sanders

Owner of Beyond Organica Hemp Nursery & Farm

What to Know Before You Grow Hemp

Jae first moved to Taos in 2010 to work towards food and energy sovereignty for Northern New Mexico with Tierra Lucero, a 50c3 non-profit. She has since been a proponent of localizing food production in rural communities. She began working with cannabis 2011 and has since became well acquainted with hemp in Colorado. She is a co-owner of Beyond Organica, based in southern Colorado which has designed a line of organic nutrients for cannabis (hemp and marijuana), operates a boutique hemp nursery, and advises hemp farmers from pre-planting, through growing to the selling of their crop. She is currently pursuing her passions of building resilient foodsheds and thriving communities in the upper Rio Grande bio-region.

Cole Kernstine

Independent Grower & Beyond Organica Hemp Nursery & Farm Production Assistant

What to Know Before You Grow Hemp

Cole has been managing medical and recreational cannabis farms in Colorado and California since 2012 and cultivating since 2007. He’s been working with Beyonod Organica’s hemp nursery for the past year. Cole holds multiple “master grower” certifications from Colorado and California. He has tremendous passion for all things cannabis. He continually studies the plant and growing methods in depth and is a known ‘go-to-guy’ for any questions about growing. He has been developing his own genetic lines since 2014. His cultivation style includes Korean Natural Farming (KNF), self-produced nutrients, co-planting and living soil. He has been growing in the San Luis Valley of Colorado for the last two years.


Vending

If you would like to have vendor table, please let us know. It won’t cost you anything during this first event, but will at the following.

For more information, ask

Jae Sanders – 707.900.8064 – admin@beyondorganica.com


Upcoming Hemp Farming Ag Talks:

Part 2 – Growing – July 24 (tentative date)

  • Feeding / Plant Health
  • Watering
  • Pests & Disease
  • Marketing

Part 3 – Pre-Harvest – August 14 (tentative date)

  • Lab Testing for THC
  • Growing great Flower
  • Harvesting Methods
  • Marketing

Part 4 – Post-Harvest – Sept 18 (tentative date)

  • Drying / Curing Method and Space
  • Storing
  • Contracts
  • Seed Saving
  • Extraction
  • Value-added Products
  • Marketing