An internationally recognized leader in hemp research and the entrepreneurial founders of a Vermont CBD company will headline the second annual Industrial Hemp Conference on Feb. 20 in South Burlington.

It will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 870 Williston Road.

Jay Noller, director of Oregon State University's Global Hemp Innovation Center, will open the conference with a keynote talk on hemp and its potential research implications. Luncheon speakers Alejandro Bergad and Jacob Goldstein will talk about Sunsoil CBD, the company they established in Hardwick in 2015, along with their insights on the future of the hemp industry.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with registration and exhibits open at 8 a.m. It is sponsored by the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and is open to anyone with an interest in growing or marketing industrial hemp.

Registration, which includes lunch, is $100 per person. A live broadcast is also available for a $75 fee for anyone unable to attend in person. Visit the conference website for program details and to register for either option.

The deadline to register is Feb. 13. To request a disability related accommodation to attend, contact Susan Brouillette at 802-524-6501, ext. 432, or 800-639-2130 no later than Jan. 30.

Participants will have a choice of five concurrent sessions featuring speakers from farms, universities and businesses from throughout the U.S. and Canada. Sessions will cover a range of topics including the basics of growing hemp, fertility practices, diseases, current research, Vermont regulatory requirements for sampling and testing, the market outlook, and the economics and legalities of growing and marketing hemp products.

Two farmer-led panels will focus on growing CBD hemp for direct sales and bulk sales.

Source: Vermont Cooperative Extension, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.