Location: Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit
2020 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1. Assemble and integrate current hemp related data and collect new data in collaboration with University partners to establish and improve hemp production modeling efforts.
Objective 2. Develop modeling techniques that incorporate existing and newly generated hemp agronomic information into decision support tools to help farmers integrate hemp production into existing farm systems.
Approach
Industrial hemp is a potentially useful crop for production within the U.S. Various properties and uses for hemp are being explored, some focused on the unique properties of the plant itself (fiber production, protein content as livestock feed), and some focused on the properties of cannabidiol (CBD) for a variety of uses. The goal of this research will be to use existing agronomic information and generate new information, then use modeling techniques to incorporate that information into decision support tools to help farmers integrate hemp production into existing farm systems.
Progress Report
This new project, “Developing Decision Support Tools to Incorporate Hemp into Existing Farming Enterprises,” was initiated in April 2020 as a result of a FY20 Program Increase. Progress in FY20 focused on recruiting a new Lead Scientist to oversee the project and establishing Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreements with Oregon State University and the University of Kentucky to develop research resources. The agreements will focus on research to improve production practices in transition zone and irrigated environments, the use of hemp as animal feed, sampling and testing methods for cannabinoids, and modeling to estimate the adoption of hemp production.
Accomplishments
