Hemp Field Day

In February 2022, we travelled down to Mid-Canterbury to visit an industrial hemp field. The main purpose of the trip was to get a few shots for our Instagram and Website - but Covid isolation requirements turned our trip upside down and we found ourselves without any models for the shoot. We reached out to our local customer-base and managed to tee-up five Goodlids customers and a local photographer, Gordon Duff, to head out on a hemp field trip with us!

 

 

 

 

We made the journey out along many acres of Mid-Canterbury farmland, until we reached our meeting coordinates on the side of the road. Hopping out of the car, there were no hemp crops in sight, just the usual cornfields and other food crops. However, as the easterly breeze picked up, it carried with it the recognisable cannabis terpene scent - we knew we were close.

 

 

 

We were greeted at the front of the farm by Nigel Hosking of Hemp New Zealand, who had gladly accommodated our request to visit! Nigel took the time to brief all of us on the background of the hemp industry in New Zealand. The crop that we were about to visit was about two weeks from harvest, and would be processed into food products, oils and possibly topical goods. Generally in New Zealand, the hemp seed is the only part of the crop that is processed for commercial use. Fibre processing development is under way though. A handful of New Zealand clothing brands have been working hard to develop a hemp-merino fibre blend - which is incredibly exciting, and will do wonders to put New Zealand at the forefront of hemp textile innovation - a space currently dominated by China and the US.

 

 

 

We made our way up a long, discrete driveway which opened out to a huge hemp field, as far as the eye could see. There was plenty of excitement in the air as some of us had never visited a hemp farm before. Nigel gave us a very short lowdown of the rules: make this place your own for the next few hours, and do whatever gets the best content. We were stoked!

 

 

 

We ticked the content boxes as quickly as we could, and then we had some fun: picking buds from the crops, a few were thrown around and it quickly broke out into a hilarious 'bud fight' out in the fields. We played a bit of tug-of-war with some uprooted crops to demonstrate the strength of the hemp fibre. Finally we journeyed deep into the thick of the field - feeling very much lost in a purple haze maze.

 

 

 

After a few hours of fun, it was time to head home. It was such a beautiful day with great people - looking forward to the next time we visit!