One university is hosting a symposium dedicated to exploring hemp’s many potentials.
From 8 a.m to 1 p.m. CT Sept. 17, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) is hosting its third Southern Illinois Hemp/Cannabis Symposium—sponsored by SIU’s Cannabis Science Center—which will feature several speakers from the industry, as well as vendors and industry related displays, according to an SIU press release.
The symposium will address various topics related to hemp fiber and seed crops and their produced products.
The speaker list includes:
- Chris Berry, chief operation officer, Illinois Hemp Growers Association
- Oussama Badad, lead geneticist, Trilogene Seeds
- DoKyoung Lee, professor, University of Illinois
- Patrick Van Meter, CEO and co-founder, Midwest Natural Fiber
- Justin Swanson, Co-Founder and President, Midwest Hemp Council
- Jacob Waddell, President, U.S. Hemp Building Association
- Ryan Doherty, CEO, Hemp Ventures
Speakers will discuss the many end uses of hemp, including the latest developments of hemp materials in building and construction, as well as business models and techniques for marketing cannabis and hemp products.
In addition, hemp experts will also address “cultivating efforts in Illinois and the Midwest, including Farm Bill and federal regulation aspects.” And hemp breeders will unveil the development of “new cultivars optimized for Illinois or for use in unique row crop production systems where fiber, seed and cannabinoids can be harvested from the same crop,” according to the release.
Furthermore, according to the release, the vendors will have displays highlighting current cultivation and manufacturing machinery and technologies for cannabis and consumer products.
The Director of the Fledgling Research Center at SIU, Buck Hales, said, “We’re trying to reach people working in the industry or interested in learning about the state of the art of fiber and seed crops, instead of emphasizing CBD and novel cannabinoids like we did last year.”
Individuals can register for the event here.
