Source: NC A&T COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, 5/23/22


For some farmers, hemp sounds like the cash crop of their dreams. Since Congress made hemp farming legal in 2018, it has been the hot new topic in agriculture, bringing hope to North Carolina farmers still recovering financially from the decline of the tobacco industry. The fast-growing plant can yield seeds, flowers, fibers and oil, all of which can theoretically fetch high prices on the hemp market — enticing thousands to try growing it.

But there’s one problem for current and future hemp farmers: it’s a new field, with little long-term research to guide eager farmers on their journey.

Enter the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, which is performing research that ultimately will educate farmers on commercial hemp production. Researchers are studying a variety of aspects of hemp farming — from pests and pollination to production and profits — to help growers maximize the crop’s potential and minimize the risks associated with growing it.

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