Innovative Elgin County farmer growing hemp, crambe for oil

摘要

Aylmer area vegetable grower and Nuffield Scholar Mark Wales decided this past spring to dedicate some of his acreage to a couple of novel crops. Wales, whose pick-your-own farm operation was part of a recent Garlic Growers of Ontario field day, has put in 14 acres of industrial hemp and a slightly smaller acreage of crambe, also known as Abyssinian mustard. Both crops will be harvested and utilized for their oil content - hemp for use in food products and crambe as a lubricant in aircraft engines. The opportunity to experiment with the crops came for Wales during recent tours of England and Australia. Both the hemp and crambe crops are being grown for different companies in the United Kingdom.