With long daylight hours in summer and usually a reliable rainfall, Southland has a good climate for growing hemp Photo: Supplied
The third generation farmers started growing hemp in 2018 after waiting months for their licence from the Ministry of Health.
Jody said they always wanted to grow or produce something healthy that they could take directly to the customer.
"We thought garlic and red meat, then Blair stumbled on hemp just as there was about to be a law change...so we decided, 'right, oh, well, let's just give it a go'".
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Now, several years after launching the Hopefield Hemp brand, a large crop grows in a paddock.
Harvesting hemp for seed Photo: Supplied
When planting in spring, Blair makes sure seeding rates allow the sun-loving plants to have enough space to breathe.
"So when they've got plenty of space, they tend to grow seeds all the way down the stem," he said.
An earthy, herbal scent is released as we brush up against the plants, that Blair likes to keep small-ish.
"You don't want long stalks going through the combine. It tends to want to wrap around everything. So if they're short stems, they don't cause too many issues."
Blair and Jody in a paddock of hemp Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Jody said the hemp plants can only be harvested for their seeds.
"We don't do anything with the plant itself, we're not allowed to. All of that is very restrictive."
To grow hemp for commercial use a general licence is required from Medsafe under the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Regulations 2006.
Hemp has 0.3 percent or less THC (tetrahydrocannabinol - the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis), meaning hemp-derived products don't contain enough THC to create the "high" traditionally associated with cannabis.
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Two German-made hemp seed presses at Hopefield Farm Photo: Supplied
A month after the harvested seeds have gone through the press in the farmyard, the oil is filtered off and bottled. Some of it is made into a health supplement.
"There's a company in Christchurch that makes capsules for us," Jody said.
The mother of three used to make a hemp skin cream for her kids, who had eczema. This led to online sales and demand quickly out-grew her kitchen set-up.
"It got a wee bit out of control. So there's a company that works out of Invermay that makes the cream for us now," she said.
The Hopefield Hemp product range Photo: Supplied
The Drysdale's 16-year-old daughter Carly is also part of the Hopefield Hemp team.
The year 11 student at Southland Girls' High School does most of the seed pressing. She's also a budding country musician.
"She's quite accomplished in her songwriting and she won the Gisborne Country Music Awards last year so she's a pretty clever wee cookie," Jody said.
When it comes to a career though, music or farming are not in her sights.
"Like, I love the farm. I love it to bits, but it's not what I want to do either. I really want to be a paramedic," she said.
Carly Drysdale with her guitar. Listen to her singing 'Millionaire' by Chris Stapleton at the end of the audio story Photo: Supplied
Learn more:
- https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/329695/hemp-seeds-get-green-light
- https://www.health.govt.nz/regulation-legislation/industrial-hemp/industrial-hemp-licensing
