The Good Works of Hemp Harvest Works and Bish Enterprises

Oct 28, 2021 | iHemp Hour

bish enterprises

Hemp Harvesting Innovation with Bish Enterprises

Insights from iHemp Hour with Andrew Bish & Keren Gutierrez

Industrial hemp isn’t just a crop — it’s a system. Fiber, hurd, grain, bedding, plastics, feed, and construction materials all depend on one critical step: the harvest. Without the right tools, even the best genetics and fieldwork fall apart.

In this iHemp Hour episode, we spoke with Andrew Bish, CEO of Bish Enterprises and founder of Hemp Harvest Works, and Keren Gutierrez, a key member of their sales team. Their Nebraska-based company has been designing harvesting solutions since 1976, and they’ve grown into one of the leading innovators in hemp machinery.

This post breaks down the equipment, the challenges, and the opportunities shaping industrial hemp as it matures into a real agricultural sector.

From Traditional Crops to Hemp

Bish Enterprises’ story starts long before the Farm Bill. Andrew’s grandfather founded the company in 1976 to build specialized headers for corn, soybeans, sorghum, and sunflowers.

Hemp entered the picture after a custom harvester asked whether one of their sorghum headers could work for a hemp grain field. Bish tested it, learned quickly how unique hemp behaves, and realized:

  • The industry lacked purpose-built harvest equipment.

  • The stalk strength, fiber, and moisture make hemp far more challenging than traditional crops.

  • There was enormous opportunity for innovation.

That one test plot evolved into years of R&D — and today, Bish is a go-to name for hemp harvesting solutions across North America.

The SuperCrop Header: Better Grain, Fewer Problems

One of Bish’s signature innovations is the SuperCrop header, originally designed for sorghum and sunflowers but now widely used for hemp grain.

How it works:

  • Harvests grain and floral material

  • Leaves roughly one-third of the stalk standing

  • Minimizes tough fiber entering the combine

  • Produces cleaner biomass ready for drying and extraction

  • Performs especially well in wet field conditions

This header has been used by major CBD processors who harvest, dry, clean, and extract efficiently with minimal downtime and far fewer plugging issues.

In extremely dry conditions, wind and shatter loss can increase — but for most grain-based ops, the SuperCrop header is one of the most proven tools on the market.

Introducing the Multi-Height Sickle Mower (Fiber)

Fiber hemp requires a completely different approach. Tall, woody stalks must be cut cleanly and often at multiple lengths to make field handling and baling possible.

Bish recently developed a multi-height sickle mower, tested extensively with IND Hemp in Montana.

Key benefits:

  • Cuts hemp at multiple heights in a single pass

  • Produces uniform stalk segments (3–4 ft or custom lengths)

  • Enables farmers to use traditional round balers

  • Covers wide swaths (12–15 ft) at 9–14 acres/hr

  • Tractor-powered — no need to buy a dedicated unit

Cutting stalks into shorter lengths dramatically reduces wrapping, improves drying, and makes raking and baling far more manageable. It lowers cost of entry by letting farmers use equipment they already have.

Why “What Happens Next?” Determines the Equipment

Andrew emphasized something that every hemp farmer eventually learns:

To choose the right machine, you must know the final product.

Different markets require different harvest strategies:

If you’re making animal bedding

  • Some fiber is acceptable in the hurd

  • Consistent sizing matters

  • Avoiding mold during retting and baling is critical

If you’re making textile-grade fiber

  • Long, intact bast fiber is essential

  • Very clean separation (low hurd contamination)

  • Controlled retting and moisture management

If you’re making hempcrete or biocomposites

  • Hurd is the priority

  • Fiber can be a byproduct

  • More aggressive sizing equipment may be appropriate

If you’re harvesting grain

  • Clean grain and minimal stalk entry are key

  • Proper combine settings and header choice matter most

There is no “universal hemp machine.” The question isn’t “What should I buy?” — it’s “What am I selling?”

Retting Research Across the U.S.

Retting is a crucial step in fiber processing. It’s the microbial breakdown of pectin that binds the outer bast fiber to the woody hurd.

Bish conducted a multi-state research project growing fiber in:

  • Nebraska (multiple locations)

  • Iowa

  • Minnesota

  • Texas

  • Oregon

The trials evaluated:

  • Field retting duration

  • Climate differences

  • Soil conditions

  • Ease of decortication

  • Tensile strength of resulting fiber

Even at similar latitudes, weather patterns — especially rainfall — made a significant difference in retting performance. Some varieties had additional quirks, such as large leaves that complicated air-separation during cleaning.

The takeaway?
We need more data. And Bish is helping generate it.

The Hemp Feed Coalition Barrier

Andrew also serves on the board of the Hemp Feed Coalition, working to secure FDA approval for hempseed ingredients in animal feed.

Right now, federal regulators still restrict hemp grain and byproducts from being fed to livestock — even though:

  • Many other countries allow it

  • Industrial hemp grain contains negligible cannabinoids

  • Feed approval is critical for fiber-crop economics

The coalition’s latest submission was met with a long list of follow-up questions, again focused heavily on cannabinoids in products that typically contain no measurable THC.

This bottleneck:

  • Hurts U.S. farmers

  • Makes fiber systems less profitable

  • Drives processors to look overseas

  • Prevents hemp from becoming a true row crop

Andrew’s view is blunt:

“The U.S. cannot build a viable hemp fiber industry without animal feed approval.”

He also noted another challenge:

“The industry has too many associations and no unified voice.”

Policy progress depends on unity — and that remains a challenge.

New Voices in Farming

Keren added an encouraging perspective: hemp attracts people traditional agriculture often doesn’t.

She sees:

  • More women entering ag through hemp

  • More young farmers taking interest

  • First-generation growers stepping into farming

  • Inventive thinkers working to solve early-stage equipment and processing issues

But she also sees stigma — especially in conservative states — where farmers hesitate because of decades of misunderstanding around cannabis.

Education and exposure help break down that barrier.

Where Hemp Goes from Here

A few themes emerged clearly:

1. Harvest determines success.

Better tools = cleaner material, less loss, higher margins.

2. Markets must lead production.

Processors’ needs should dictate how fields are planted and harvested.

3. Feed approval unlocks the full system.

Fiber becomes dramatically more profitable when grain and leaf can go to livestock.

4. Unified advocacy matters.

Progress stalls when 13,000 separate voices compete for attention.

5. The next generation is watching.

Hemp’s future depends on making this crop accessible, understandable, and economically viable.

Learn More or Get Help with Harvest

Bish Enterprises & Hemp Harvest Works:

  • bishenterprises.com

  • hempharvestworks.com

They provide:

  • Grain headers

  • Fiber cutters

  • Retting and baling guidance

  • Consulting on matching equipment to your end market

  • Financing options through partner lenders

If you’re a Michigan or Midwest grower, stay connected with iHemp Michigan for:

  • Field days

  • Workshops

  • The Midwest iHemp Expo

  • Hempies innovation awards

  • Policy updates and feed-approval progress

Industrial hemp isn’t a niche crop anymore — it’s a new agricultural frontier. Getting the harvest right is one of the most important steps to building a competitive, sustainable industry.