From the very start of Sagely Naturals, transparency has always been a core value of ours. And that goes beyond just providing our COAs or sharing our quadruple lab testing process. For us, that also means introducing you to the farm and farmers we work with and providing insight into the process of taking hemp seed to shelf. As spring approaches and the growing season gets underway, we thought it was the perfect time to share with you what springtime means for our farmers!
The farm we partner with, based in New England, focuses on sustainability and regenerative farming practices that are of the utmost importance to us as we continue to grow. They are part of a select group of certified organic hemp growers in the country. And currently, they are taking it a step further by undergoing a new process, beyond organic, to become a certified biodynamic farm.
The importance of biodynamic farming is that the process ultimately adds vitality to the hemp crops by maintaining the soil’s ability to recycle and retain greater nutrients. For our farm, this process includes building compost made of plant matter like hemp stalks, maple and oak leaves, corn husks, corn and grain waste, chicken and cow manure, straw, hay, forest soil, biochar, and basalt.
With April halfway through, the fields are currently covered with bull horns filled with manure and our farmers are mapping out the spacing and selecting companion plants that will prevent pests, weeds, and erosion on their diverse perennial grasses. The importance of minimally disturbing the soil at this nascent stage is based on the idea that soil’s first few inches contain the highest percentages of biology. That biology provides nutrients through symbiotic connections, which in turn allows for increased organic matter and carbon sequestration. In return for having diverse biology, we have lower inputs onto fields and yields increase. Win-win.
On May 1st, the true growing season begins with feminized seeds in the greenhouse which will germinate for one month. They are then transplanted to the fields in June and harvest is in Fall. We look forward to keeping you updated on our growing season this year!
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