Illinois, Wisconsin universities team up to test different hemp varieties with farmers’ help

The University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin are recruiting Midwestern farmers to plant and test different varieties of hemp this year in exchange for discounted cannabinoid sampling.

Project participants must agree to at least two sampling dates per plant variety for collection into the Midwestern Hemp Database. The University of Illinois Extension says that as a new crop to the Midwest, “best management practices (BMPs) and varietal performance of industrial hemp have yet to be determined.”

Those include:

• Planting methods.
• Variety performance.
• Fertility requirements.

University officials say there is a lot of variability among seed sources in the market, and the project aims to provide insight into how well different varieties perform in the region.

Interested participants must apply by July 24. The minimum cost to join the program is $60 for testing per variety per location. In exchange, participants will have the chance to get cannabinoid profiling for compounds such as CBC, CBD, and CBG, among others.