Freeport, ILL [June 23, 2021]—Local college students had the unique opportunity to assist and learn from University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator Phillip Alberti in April with a replicated research trial focusing on industrial hemp.

Alberti gave brief lectures this spring to horticulture students about industrial hemp production practices and the current state of the Industry. Afterwards, they met in the greenhouse to learn hands-on how to plant hemp seeds, transplant seedlings, make clones and continue management to grow healthy plants. Along the way, Alberti explained the benefits and disadvantages of various hemp production systems.

“This project gave students experience in one of the fastest growing agriculture industries, but most importantly provided an educational experience about a plant that is quite misunderstood” says Alberti. “While the plant and production practices may be similar, we are focusing on hemp, not marijuana-cannabis,” he clarifies. “It’s a very small-scale and very restricted study that is being replicated across many sites across the Midwest.” Agriculture students in the fall will be able to come back and look at how the plants have progressed, getting involved in the critical pre-harvest sampling protocols that are required by state and federal agencies.

The industrial hemp project was created to supplement the Midwestern Hemp Database, an extensive network of growers and collaborators to provide research-based information for one of the newest and most highly demanded crops in the Midwest. The original project started in 2020 to determine the best production practices and which varieties would grow best.

“Growers were coming to me with questions about how to grow hemp in the Midwest, but we did not have years of university research to point them to” explains Alberti. “We needed to collect as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, in order to make recommendations to growers for compliant, profitable hemp.”

The project started with four universities collaborating: University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University and Purdue University along with Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Rock River Laboratory Inc., and Pride Analytics & Consulting. Now, for 2021, Ohio State University, University of Kentucky and ACT Laboratories are joining the project. Over 130 grower-collaborators were included on the project in 2020. Data from the project has been used to impact the USDA’s policies regarding hemp production.

For more information about the Midwestern Hemp Database, visit extension.illinois.edu/global/midwestern-hemp-database or contact Phillip Alberti, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator at 815-235-4125 or by email at palberti@illinois.edu.

Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in program and employment. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in programming, contact the program coordinator. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your needs.