Jun 25, 2019

Cool Planet, Gray Farm Maple to conduct trials on industrial hemp

Denver, Colorado-based Cool Planet, an agricultural technology company focused on soil health solutions, announced June 20 it has partnered with Gray Farm Maple LLC, a progressive farming operation in Denmark, Maine, to conduct trials of Cool Terra Organic on outdoor grown industrial hemp.

The trial is taking place on farmland in the western lakes region of Maine, and the results will measure changes in plant yield and overall plant cannabidiol (CBD) content. Cool Planet has completed over 125 independent agricultural field trials across a wide variety of crops and this is its first trial on industrial hemp. 

“Industrial hemp is quickly becoming the next cash crop within the agricultural sector. We’re excited to partner with a company that is helping give farms more tools to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity,” said Cool Planet CEO Jim Loar. “Based on the significant number of independent trials we have conducted, we believe applying Cool Terra Organic to the root zone of hemp plants has the ability to increase the yield and thus overall CBD content, making the crop even more valuable than it already is today.”

The trial is being conducted as a randomized complete block, replicated design where the acreage is divided into 24 rows to account for any soil variation in the field. The field will use plasticulture and drip tape, with Cool Terra® Organic applied at the root zone. When it’s time to harvest, the control and Cool Terra® yields will be measured in dry weight, and the CBD output will be measured after CO2 extraction.

“We are excited to partner with Cool Planet to better understand how their biochar-based soil amendment may impact the output, and environmental sustainability of industrial hemp farming,” said Gray Farm Maple President Barry Kallander. “Hemp offers a tremendous opportunity for farmers across the country, but due to the crop’s high carbon footprint, we must find ways to make it more sustainable. We think Cool Terra could be a helpful tool because of its ability to increase yield, reduce water use, sequester carbon, and improve soil health.”

Cool Terra products are described by the company as the most studied biochar-based soil amendments on the market today, and the company has developed a best-in-class trial program to understand its benefits and prove its efficacy.

They have partnered with over 50 independent third-party university or agricultural researchers, who have conducted more than 125 trials over the past four growing seasons on over 40 different crops. The trials have shown that Cool Terra products support soil vitality and delivers, on average, a 12.3% improvement in marketable yield when compared to the grower standard while generating a greater than 3:1 grower return on investment.

Cool Planet is an agriculture technology company that develops, and markets Engineered Biocarbon technology products for soil health. The company’s first commercial product line is Cool Terra, an award-winning soil amendment, which works to improve key soil performance characteristics for greater plant growth and quality.

Learn more about Cool Terra and Engineered Biocarbon technology at coolterra.com, on Twitter at @CoolPlanet and on Facebook at facebook.com/CoolTerraNews. Contact the company about Cool Terra at [email protected].

 Gray Farm Maple LLC, located in the western mountain region of Maine, is a state-licensed grower of high CBD industrial hemp and a producer of Grade A Pure Maple Syrup.

Using advanced techniques for high-value crops, Gray Farm is growing Industrial Hemp using plasticulture farming and root-zone fertigation. The Farm has a close partnership with Cannabased Wellness LLC (CBW) to promote and support Industrial Hemp as an alternative crop for the small family farm and will process the biomass using CO2 extraction into crude and refined CBD oil.

The Farm is also home to a vibrant sugarbush of rock and red maple that are seasonally tapped for their high-value sap, then processed using reverse osmosis and wood-fired evaporation into Grade A Pure Maine Maple Syrup. For more information visit www.cannabasedwellness.com or contact Barry Kallander at 978-790-1902.