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Missouri Hemp Association to host conference covering cultivation to marketing

A statewide conference next month seeks to cover the ins and outs — from cultivation to marketing — of the emerging industrial hemp industry.

The Missouri Hemp Association is playing host to the conference, which is set to cover “Seed to Sale,” on July 30 in Columbia, Missouri.

“We have an exciting program planned for any Missouri farmer interested in growing hemp,” Dale Ludwig, Missouri Hemp Association Executive Director, said. “The program will include academia and allied industry experts on hemp production and marketing plus a producer panel. We also encourage current and potential suppliers and allied industry to attend this first-ever statewide event.”

Hemp is expected to be planted next spring for the first time in several decades. The Missouri Department of Agriculture issued draft rules for the fledgling industry in January, and in May, the Missouri General Assembly passed a law easing restrictions placed on the crop when it was legalized in 2018.

Ludwig told The Missouri Times the conference will cover growing different crops, contrasting markets, and finding real markets for the crop before the seed is put in the ground.

The conference is free to Missouri Hemp Association members, of which there are roughly 50 — a number Ludwig hopes to grow considerably before the end of the year. Registration for nonmembers is $150 per ticket. More information is available online.