Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Additional Plants: hemp

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: biological control, biorational pesticides, cultivation, cultural control, host resistance, mechanical control, monitoring/scouting, weed ecology

The industrial hemp industry has waxed and waned in the north central region over the last few years, due to challenges in production, uncertainty in legislation for this crop, and limited availability of research-based pest management recommendations. While we continue to make progress in research and extension regarding the seasonality, prevalence, and damage potential of industrial hemp pests, stakeholders in the north central region would benefit from a centralized source of research-based recommendations for integrated management of common weeds, pathogens, and insects in hemp grown in the north central region. To address this need, we propose to 1) leverage the Purdue Hemp website as a centralized location for research-based hemp IPM recommendations developed in the NC region, 2) create “feature story” videos that highlight hemp success stories in underrepresented and tribal communities to promote opportunities in the industrial hemp industry and inspire the next generation of industrial hemp producers, and 3) facilitate continued growth of hemp stakeholder networks through field days and funding support for diverse members of the hemp industry to attend a regional conference to promote learning, knowledge transfer, and collaboration between stakeholder groups. Taken together, this project will contribute to the development of strong relationships between industrial hemp stakeholders, provide accessible and practical information for growers, and provide a means to continue short and long-term assessments of the impacts of hemp extension efforts in the north central region.

1. Leverage the Purdue Hemp website as a centralized location for research-based hemp IPM recommendations developed in the NC region and increase access to this information for stakeholders in the NC region.
2. Create “feature story” videos that highlight hemp success stories in underrepresented and tribal communities to promote opportunities in the industrial hemp industry and inspire the next generation of industrial hemp producers.
3. Facilitate continued growth of hemp stakeholder networks through field days and funding support for diverse members of hemp industry to attend a regional conference to promote learning, knowledge transfer, and collaboration between stakeholder groups.