GOSHEN COUNTY – “Hemp can grow in Goshen County,” said Ervin Gara, a Goshen County farmer operating an experimental hemp crop south of Torrington. Gara’s goal was to get about three and one-half tons per acre. Gara exceeded that goal, averaging approximately five tons per acre. 

Despite a few minor setbacks, Ervin Gara’s hemp growing experiment is moving forward. Gara and his team cut the hemp last week and began baling the hemp on Wednesday. 

Brown Company of Torrington set up a demo of a ZR5 self-propelled round baler for Gara’s use. Charlie Miller, Hay Equipment Technician of Brown Company’s Wheatland office, provided Gara with instruction on the baler and its features. The baler is currently for sale in Brown Company’s Wheatland showroom.

Justin Loeffler of GreenTree Ag is managing the operation. Loeffler told The Farmer, “the east coast area and the national average is about two or three tons per acre. Our goal was to get about four tons, and we did it in the first year.” 

Loeffler was unsure where the bales would go for processing, but is considering several different avenues. He believes it is crucial to bring systems to Torrington. 

“I want everything grown, processed and built in Wyoming,” Loeffler said. 

Kelly Sittner, president of Goshen County Economic Development and vice president of the Wyoming Hemp Association, commented on the operation’s progress. 

“We are disappointed we did not get the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Services) grant, but we are optimistic going forward.” 

Sittner expressed his delight in Loeffler for his consideration in taking different avenues to fund the project and keep it moving forward but voiced concern over the testing procedures. 

“We need our legislators and governor committed to hemp production. The commitment needs to be at the state level,” Sittner said. “I have some concerns about the testing process. The testing process is so rigid, and we need some latitude. We need to relax the standards to encourage growers.”

Sittner expressed his desire to have the testing procedure changed for hemp fiber production. He explained that they are not looking at the flower in fiber production. The flower is used in CBD production but has little involvement with fiber production. Currently, the threshold for legal hemp is set at a THC concentration to be no more than three-tenths of one percent.