Hemp industry may be in transition | Crops | agupdate.com – AgUpdate

The budding hemp industry appears to be in a transition period, with research increasingly geared more toward industrial use rather than CBD oil.

A few years after legal bans were lifted on production of marijuanas non-potent cousin, the market is still finding its footing. Research in the Midwest has focused on agronomics of a crop that is in its infancy.

The market for CBD oil sold as a pain reliever and nutrition supplement exploded but has plateaued recently. Many have always felt that the long-term potential is in industrial hemp, both grain and fiber.

There are more opportunities to do this kind of work, said Phillip Alberti, one of several scientists collaborating on research and the Midwestern Hemp Database project. Were looking at multiple uses, whether its paper products, textiles or other things. On the grain side were looking at livestock feed options down the line. We didnt have those opportunities when hemp was first legalized.

The University of Illinois Extension educator is working with scientists from Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana on variety selection and other agronomic aspects of hemp production. They are gathering information from more than 180 growers cooperating in the database. They have collected more than 1,400 samples in return for discounted testing of cannabinoid levels.

Hopefully, we will use this to make better variety selection, Alberti said.

Hemp has long been touted as a candidate for the next major cash crop. In the past it was grown extensively and used for products such as rope. But the federal governments campaign against marijuana made growing hemp illegal, even though it does not contain enough THC to produce the high marijuana does.

The CBD craze provided a jump start, since there was already a market for the oil. While basically different varieties of the same plants, hemp grown for CBD content is produced in a manner similar to tomatoes or pepper plants, on small, irrigated plots. Industrial hemp is planted in rows on larger acreage, more closely resembling established crops such as corn and soybeans.

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A lot of the practices are going to be the same, especially when it comes down to compliance, Alberti said. Thats the same whether growing CBD or hemp for fiber. Were taking a lot of what weve learned on the CBD side and applying to industrial hemp.

CBD production and research may be seen as a stepping stone toward what many agronomists believe will be a much more substantial industrial hemp market.

The majority of the projects have been for CBD. But we really like the strategy, Alberti said. I always felt that the work we were doing is a stopgap. All resources got pooled into CBD-type plants. That market has dropped quite a bit. Now there is an increase in the amount of participation for industrial hemp.

Some findings have been taken from researchers in Kentucky, who in turn gathered some information from Canada, where hemp has been grown legally for several years.

For the grain side weve used a lot of their guides, information to get us on the right track, Alberti said. We took a lot of our information from University of Kentucky. They got a lot of background information from Canada. We look at whether if it worked there, lets try it here.

Researchers have learned a lot from hemp trials, many on plots on cooperating farms.

There are so many things we took for granted early on, Alberti said. Seeding rates, for instance. We focused on 25 pounds per acre, but we werent taking into consideration seed quality or seed size. Now every time we do planting date or rate trials we consider whether it is for grain or fiber.

This year was the first time that weve had hemp tested for germination and quality in April. In the past there were problems that forced late planting, such as weather and seed availability. That made the research very limited. June is not the best time to plant.

Alberti said he believes industrial hemp markets will vary according to region due to production already in place. Fiber may be a better fit in the South. The Midwest may be better suited for grain.

The South will be looking at fiber, in my opinion, he said. There is existing infrastructure making cotton into textiles. Up here, potentially, it could be better suited for grain production if we get approval for animal feed. Its going to be on a regional scale, not necessarily across the whole country.

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Hemp industry may be in transition | Crops | agupdate.com - AgUpdate