What to expect from the Rob Eccles Hemp Agronomy Webinar: a practical guide to deciding whether hemp suits your farm
Every season, growers ask us the same thing: “How do I decide whether I should grow hemp?” iHemp NSW is bringing in someone who has spent a career answering it. Rob Eccles is an agronomist and agribusiness leader whose experience spans farming, seed, research, commercial agriculture and industry development. He is Agronomy Lead with the Australian Hemp Council and President of the Queensland Industrial Hemp Association, so he has seen how hemp behaves in paddocks across eastern Australia.
Why this webinar is different
Rob has a standard 50-minute agronomy presentation, but this isn’t it. The 35-minute session is built around one decision: is hemp right for your farm? Each section runs on the same pattern of question, evidence, paddock story and lesson, with a real on-farm example every five to seven minutes. If you’ve sat through slide-heavy agronomy talks before, you’ll notice the difference.
What the Rob Eccles hemp agronomy webinar covers
Is hemp right for your farm? The key questions to ask before you plant anything.
Where hemp fits. Grain, fibre and dual-purpose opportunities, and how to tell which suits your situation.
Queensland, NSW and Victoria compared. Climate, planting windows, varieties, regulations, buyers and processors, plus the practical differences Rob has seen between regions.
The economics. Realistic establishment and growing costs, yields, farm-gate values and what a first-time grower should budget for.
Hemp in the rotation. Where it may fit and what it can contribute to the wider farming system.
Getting the first crop right. Rob’s six practical rules, followed by his “five ways to stuff up your first hemp crop”, the common mistakes he has seen and how to avoid them.
Where the industry goes next. Markets, processing, predictable production and closer cooperation between the three states.
Yes, Maybe or Not Yet. A simple checklist you can take back to the farm to test whether hemp makes sense right now.
Who should attend
Growers weighing up their first crop will get the most from it, but it’s also useful for experienced growers comparing conditions across state lines, and for processors, advisors and partners who want to understand what growers are actually facing. Since the session keeps the technical agronomy tight, we expect plenty of the detail to come out in the Q&A, so bring your questions.
Date and time: Thursday 4 February, 6:00-7:00pm (AEDT)
Registration: TBC
Guest Speaker Rob Eccles Bio
Rob is an experienced agronomist and agribusiness leader with a career spanning farming, seed, research, commercial agriculture and industry development. As Agronomy Lead with the Australian Hemp Council and President of the Queensland Industrial Hemp Association, he brings practical experience in hemp agronomy, production systems, supply chain, and industry development across eastern Australia.
Host: Maxine Shea
Maxine Shea is an Executive Officer of iHemp NSW and the co-founder of Hemp Collective, an award-winning natural hemp hair, body and pet care brand from the Byron Shire. She and her husband Mike started the business in 2017, and it has since grown from a grassroots idea into a national brand stocked in more than 300 stores and trusted by thousands of customers. Her own health journey and a deep commitment to sustainable living shaped the range. She’s backing hemp all the way: on the farm, on the shelf and at the table where industry decisions get made.
FAQ
Is hemp profitable to grow in Australia?
It depends on the end market, your region, your yields and your costs. Rob’s session looks at realistic establishment and growing costs, yields and farm-gate values so you can budget with real numbers.
What’s the difference between growing hemp for grain, fibre and both?
Grain crops are managed for seed, fibre crops for stem quality, and dual-purpose crops aim to capture both. Each has different agronomy, harvest timing and buyer requirements, which the webinar covers.
Can I grow hemp in NSW, Queensland and Victoria?
Yes, but climate, planting windows, suitable varieties, regulations and nearby processors differ between the states. Rob compares all three from his own experience.
How does hemp fit into a crop rotation?
Many growers consider hemp as a rotation crop, so the webinar looks at where it may fit and what it can contribute to the farming system.
What are the most common mistakes first-time hemp growers make?
Rob shares his “five ways to stuff up your first hemp crop” with real paddock examples, along with six rules for getting it right.
