Dan Scheele, President
Gordon Scheifele, Secretary

2007 ONTARIO HEMP ALLIANCE ACTIVITY REPORT


By Gordon Scheifele
2007 OHA ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING
Grace Presbyterian Church,
50 Finkle Street, Woodstock, Ont.
Friday, March 23, 2007
- celebrated 10 years of industrial hemp production in Canada.
Honoured Senator Lorna Milne as invited guest speaker.
- Art Hanks, Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance.
- Senator Lorna Milne. Ottawa Perspective and Vision of the Canadian and Ontario Hemp Industry.
HEMP BREEDING PROJECT

The OHA Hemp Breeding Project with Ridgetown College/U of G from 2003 to 2006 was finalized and 3 new hemp grain varieties : RC-51 Jutta, RC-52 Yvonne and RC-53 Heidrun were released with breeder seed to OHA as owners. The breeder seed of each variety was planted in isolation for foundation seed production in 2007. Foundation seed from RC-51 Jutta and RC-53 Heidrun was harvested. The foundation seed of RC-52 Yvonne was stolen 48 hours before harvest. Remnant Breeder seed of RC-52 Yvonne is still available. Each of these 3 new varieties were entered into the 2007 National Hemp Grain Variety Characterization trials across Canada. See brief summary below.

RC-51 Jutta: monoecious, medium maturity (like Anka), low THC: Average = 0.07% . Low = <0.05 & high = 0.16;.Sd = 0.032 (from 12 test sites across Canada in 2007) Large seed (16.2g/1000k #1, 8% larger than Anka), very attractive and uniform, as tall as Anka and potentially dual purpose. Have foundation seed to produce Registered seed in 2008.

RC-52 Yvonne: monoecious, medium maturity (like Anka), High THC: Average = 0.16%. Low = <0.05 & high = 0.69 Sd = 0.178 (from 12 test sites across Canada in 2007). Large seed (16.0g/1000k-#2, 7% larger than Anka), 8% taller than Anka (and potentially dual purpose. No foundation seed for 2008 and serious ? re high THC values.

RC-53 Heidrun: Dioecious with 1% monoecious impurity, medium maturity like Anka, high THC: Average = 0.20. Low = 0.09 & high = 0.50 ; Sd = 0.1177 (from 12 test sites across Canada in 2007) 7% smaller seed than Anka( 14g/1000k), 8% shorter than Anka, Foundation seed to plant in 2008 for registered seed production. Serious ? re high THC values.
NATIONAL 2 YEARS HEMP GRAIN VARIETY
CHARACTERIZATION/DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Gadshill site: OHA directors Dan Scheele & Shep Shepentunko discussing trial with site cooperator Robert Fleischhauer.		 The Hemp Grain Variety Characterization/Development Project is best summarized as a National comprehensively developed hemp grain variety characterization/development project to characterize hemp grain varieties REGISTERED & marketed in Canada and to characterize them and define their market positioning in the major agriculture production regions of Canada. This is a well defined Stage used by commercial Seed Companies after the new variety breeding stage and before market introduction.
The varieties identified for this project are 5 commercial varieties and 5 newly bred/registered varieties: Anka, Crag, USO 14, USO 31, Alyssa, ESTA-1, RC 51-Jutta, RC 52-Yvonne, RC 53-Heidrun and Finola (7 sites only). The designed project had these 10 hemp grain varieties planted side x side in 15 Randomized Complete Block Design Trials at: Ridgetown, Aylmer (organic), Thorndale, Gads Hill (organic), Arthur, New Liskeard, Thunder Bay, Frankfort, Kemptville, Joliette Quebec, St-Hyacinthe Quebec, Dauphin Man (2 sites), Melfort Sask (1 site), ARC Alberta (1 site) and BC in 2008. The 2 Manitoba sites were destroyed by hail in July. Measurements made in the characterization project are: height, maturity, THC, fatty acid profile, % oil, % protein, Amino Acid profile and seed size. Measurements made in the development (performance positioning) side are: grain yield (@12% moisture), harvest moisture, % male flowers.

All the data will be statistically analyzed end of 2007 and end of 2008.
A interim report will be available for 2007 and final report end of 2008.
This will be the first such broad characterization/development project in Canada. The project will create at least 30 environmental data points for each characteristic measured. This project was approved for 50% funding from Can Adapt, Guelph Ontario, in-kind contributions and $$ partners from the industry. Interim reports will be made available on the OHA and CHTA web sites. Partial interim report will be made at the AGM March 7, 2008.

St-Hyacinthe, Quebec site
Front view of the hemp grain variety characterization trial
Shep Shepentunko introducing Mark and Grace Collins from Brazil to industrial hemp. Mark and Grace spent 3 days in September in Ontario with the OHA to be educated about launching a potential hemp industry in Brazil. We expect and welcome them to be back in Ontario in 2008.

Ecologistics Research Services research crew harvesting and threshing an industrial hemp breeding plot in October. The plants were hand harvested and then threshed individually. Individual plant THC samples were also collected.
Joliette, Quebec Test Site. Left to right: Luc Boivin (Agro Centre), Technical help, Giles Gagne, Christian Boisjoly. Agro Centre is a supporting partner.
Joliette Test Site
Gordon Scheifele instructing Agro Centre Technical Assistant re industrial hemp development and THC sampling..
CANADIAN HEMP INDUSTRY REVIEW PROJECT (CHIRP)
Objective A
Phase 1 - Regulatory Review: April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
  1. Planning - Develop Action Plan (Work Breakdown Structure, Work Packages, Project Charter, Risk Analysis, Communications Plan) - Formation of Steering Committee (9 members) and Secretariat (Director, Assistant Director, Secretary (office Manager), Accountant). - Consultation with Industry and government regarding project management and approach
  2. Formative Process - develop basic questions to guide collection of data relating to issues, concerns, and processes or procedures that are going well
  3. Conduct interviews with strategic corporate and government representatives, distribute questionnaires,
  4. Regional stakeholder input meetings across Canada (Sask, Man, Ont, Quebec)
  5. Draft documents reporting industry recommendations ..Draft 1.
  6. Consult Stakeholders to approve the draft documents... Draft 2.
  7. Summation and writing of final report.
  8. Public submission to Health Canada in public meeting on or before March 31, 2009.
Phase 2 Seeds Regulation Review pertaining to Industrial Hemp, in consultation with the Canadian Seed Growers Association. Year 2-3.
Phase 3 Feed Regulation Review pertaining to Industrial Hemp, in consultation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada , Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or the Natural Animal Health Products during 2nd and 3rd years.

Objective B: Research Required for creating new Technologies and business opportunities. Form a Technical committee of 3 plus the Secretariat. This committee will include resources from regional development organizations such as ELORIN, SOBIN, COMPOSIITON INNOVATION CENTRES, (MANITOBA) AND ARC (ALBERTA RESEARCH COUNCIL) representation, as well as expertise re bio energy, fibre and grain sectors of the industry. They will prepare a report to list research priorities, costs and potential organizations to do the work. In year 1 this Technical Committee will develop a project charter and program and even potentially contract projects if funding available. Year 2 & 3: identify potential research institutions and assist to contract initiation of research with supporting funding. Report and symposium.

Objective C: Market Analysis for energy, fibre and grain sectors: Form Technical Committee of 3 plus Secretariat. Technical Committee will represent expertise in Marketing research. Technical Committee will develop program and charter. Year 1: identify business schools and universities to research Europe, USA, Asian, Southern Hemisphere and prepare for contracts based on funding approval for year 2 & 3. Year 3 - report/ symposium

Objective D: Value-Added Product and Technology Identification from Co-products/by-products: Year 1: Form a Technical Committee of 3 plus the Secretariat. Members of this committee must be industry experienced and knowledgeable of bio energy, fibre and grain industry. Develop project charter and program. Identify research bodies with expertise for respective projects. Prioritize research and potentially contact respective research bodies if funding in place. ( could be in conjunction with objective b?). Year 2. Work with respective research bodies to develop required research and funding . Launch the research projects. Year 3. Report and symposium.

Objective E: . to establish Canada as a world class supplier of Industrial Hemp Form a Technical Committee of 3 plus the Secretariat. Members of this committee must be industry market experienced and knowledgeable of fibre and grain industry. Objective is to develop Canada as a world class supplier of IH. Year 1: develop project charter and program. Identify and contact potential research bodies. Year 2: Develop projects with research bodies and launch research. Client needs discovery, contract out to marketing research body. Identify infrastructure to deliver and exceed the client expectations - the raw and processed hemp to market, engineer or technical research for harvesting and processing systems. Identify existing and potential barriers currently limiting the industry. Year 3:- Report and symposium.

This project will be a full national scale project for 3 years. The OHA is the principal applicant closely collaborating and working with CHTA pursuing industry, federal and provincial funding. It is anticipated that Mr. Niels Hansen-Trip, former director of the Industrial Hemp section of Health Canada will be the leading director of this project assisted by an Assistant Director, Office manager and accountant. These 4 will consist of the Secretariat and report to the National Steering Committee & OHA. The project will be directed by a National Steering Committee of 9 members. Each Objective will be under the leadership of a 3 member Technical Committee plus Steering Committee member and Secretariat. The OHA is submitting application for funding to ACAAF in February, 2008 for the first year, April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. Funding for 2nd and 3rd year will be secured during 2008-2009 by the Secretariat.

2007 SUMMER HEMP FIELD DAY
& INTERNATIONAL HEMP BREEDING SYMPOSIUM

The OHA was a supporting sponsor for the 2007 International BioFibres
Symposium presented by ELORIN on August 15/16, 2007 in Kingston, Ontario.
Presentations from the whole symposium (minus Mike Duckett and Hemcore)
can be found at:
http://www.elorin.ca/site/index.php?method=public.eventDetail&event_id=47
Note: Each of the presentations are in PDF format with notation of their respective sizes.
Gadshill Test Site.
(L to R) Finola, Anka, RC-51, RC-52

2008 Field Day Plot.
Side view of the Frankfort Hemp grain variety characterization Trial.		 2007 PEDIGREED SEED PROPAGATION The Ontario Hemp Alliance Propagation Agency contracted foundation seed production of RC-51 Jutta (shown below with Dan Scheele standing in it), RC-52 Yvonne and RC-53 Heidrun. RC-51 & RC-52 plots were all about 1/8 acre in size and RC-53 was 1/4 acre. All the Plots were harvested except RC-52 Yvonne which was stolen. Also contracted were 10 acres of Anka registered seed and 2 acres of Anka Foundation seed in the Arthur region.
In Burgessville and Ingersoll 1 acre of Carmen foundation and 5 acres of registered Seed production were contracted respectively . The OHAPA also had contracted 3 Separate isolated breeding plots from Seed of the germ plasm bank of Kenex Ltd., bought by OHA in 2003. These 3 lines were developed in Contract with Ridgetown College/U of G in 2006.C1, C2 & C3 breeder lines were planted in isolation in 2007 for further development. C1 & C2 are both Monoecious grain lines differing in maturity. C3 is a dioecious fibre line.