Download our final report HERE
Wessex Community Assets Ltd (WCA) has been working with a group of West Dorset Farmers to explore the logistics of Hemp and Flax as break crops by undertaking field trials in growing, harvesting and processing both crops. The project has been made possible through a grant from the Dorset National Landscapes Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme (FiPL), together with match funding from participating farms.
The field trial programme over the last three years has sought to demonstrate the value of integrating carbon-capturing crops, like Hemp and Flax, into agricultural rotations. Through experimentation the field trials have explored the many benefits bast fibre crops bring to both sound land use and local economic development.
WCA considers vertically integrated and distributive models of processing and product development as key to the transition toward a bio based local economy. In this, third year of field trials, textile varieties of Hemp and Flax were grown on three farms and farm scale processing equipment was prototyped with support from Edinburgh based Fantasy Fibre Mill.
Across the three years of WCA field trials local farmers have demonstrated that Hemp and Flax offer excellent options as break crops. Good yields have been achieved in different growing conditions with little need for fertiliser or pesticide input. In this final year, issues around harvesting, in particular baling of Hemp, appear to have been addressed.
The markets for Hemp and Flax products remain underdeveloped. New Hemp processing plants are beginning to come online – currently the nearest being in Cheltenham. Hopefully, as the market pull intensifies farmers in Dorset will have the confidence to develop relationships with processors and consider access to product markets.
For Flax the field trial has shown that there is a growing community level interest in natural materials for textile products. Farm scale processing, whilst not able to deal with large quantities of product can add value to make small scale growing a viable option as part of regenerative crop rotations.
WCA working with regional textile partners are keen to continue exploring options for collective processing and working with small scale growers/ farmers to re-establish a regenerative textile supply chain in south west England.
Download our final report HERE and watch our videos below.
