New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has granted SUNY Cobleskill permission to conduct industrial hemp research during the 2018 growing season.
The study will investigate the incidence and impact of diseases within New York on hemp growth and yield.
Hemp has not grown in the area for approximately 100 years so it is not known what diseases may present problems and how they might impact a hemp crop.
The US Senate agriculture and food policy legislation known as the Farm Bill (“The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018”), passed by a vote of 86-11 on June 28, contains provisions to legalize the cultivation, processing and sale of industrial hemp.
The move, backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), would also make hemp plants eligible for crop insurance. “Consumers across America buy hundreds of millions in retail products every year that contain hemp,” McConnell said.
“But due to outdated federal regulations that do not sufficiently distinguish this industrial crop from its illicit cousin, American farmers have been mostly unable to meet that demand themselves. It’s left consumers with little choice but to buy imported hemp products from foreign-produced hemp.”
“This important legislation, and the research conducted at SUNY Cobleskill, will benefit farmers and consumers in New York State, nationwide, and around the world,” said Marion A. Terenzio, SUNY Cobleskill president.
“Once again, SUNY Cobleskill is at the forefront of agriculture and technology.”
Industrial hemp only contains 0.3 percent of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Its distinct strain has a higher concentration of cannabidiol (CBD), which decreases or eliminates any psychoactive effects.
Industrial hemp can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, clothing, textiles, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.
SUNY Cobleskill Industrial Hemp Research Project objectives include:
• Testing different spacing to assess the influence of planting density on disease occurrence and severity.
• Assessment of soil nutrients and foliar nutrients and correlating them with disease incidences and production of the crop.
• Integration of “real life” field studies into Plant Science courses at SUNY Cobleskill.
All seed and harvested plant material will be stored in a fully secured location on campus, with locked doors and limited access.
The prepared samples will be rendered unusable for any purpose besides the analytical or evaluation techniques for which the specific sample was prepared.
The Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets and his agents will have free entry and free access to registered premises used in cultivating, harvesting, transporting, processing, studying, storing and disposing of industrial hemp.