Just where is the hemp industry going? What are the market opportunities for this new crop? Those are questions that will be addressed at the first-ever National Hemp Symposium set for Feb. 9-10.

The event will be virtual and hosted by Oregon State University's Global Hemp Innovation Center and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, a major program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Business, political and governmental leaders, including a U.S. senator, as well as representatives from the Sierra Club and American conglomerate 3M, will help to provide an outlook for the crop.

OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences launched the Global Hemp Innovation Center. The launch coincided with hemp being removed from the federal list of controlled substances. Hemp has the potential to impact a wide variety of industries, including agriculture, health, energy, defense, manufacturing, food and beverage, transportation and construction.

Jay Noller, director of the center, notes that the industry is at a critical time that depends on research for science-based decision-making to accelerate progress toward stable production and dependable markets "This symposium will offer a deep dive into some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the hemp industry as the future is truly limited only by our imagination. We seek a 2050 vision of the widespread incorporation of hemp across the U.S. economy," he says.

The symposium will be moderated by Patricia Sheikh of the National Industrial Hemp Council. Speakers include Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Courtney Moran of Earth Law LLC, John Plaza of SkyNRG, Ted Treanor and Douglas Boon of 7 Generations, Rhett Jeffries of the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research, Don Davidson of 3M, and Deanie Elsner of Charlotte’s Web.

Other speakers include Ross MacFarlane of the Sierra Club; Gregg Baumbaugh of Flexform Technologies; Jim Jeffs of Powder River Ranch; Mark Freeman, a global food services innovator; Michael Sander of Sortis; Bonnie Petersen of Washington Commerce, and Patrick Atagi, National Industrial Hemp Council.

Proceeds from conference will support the Global Hemp Innovation Center's Hemp Equity Program and faculty research.

Registration is open for the conference, which also includes a hemp film festival. For more information about this virtual conference and to register to attend, visit nationalhempsymposium.org. Registration for the event is $325. There is a discount for current college and university students.

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