Photo Credit: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Since 1984, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) in East Troy, Wis., has been committed to sustainable agriculture through research, educational programs, outreach and networking. With industrial hemp gaining ground among farmers as a promising additional cash crop, MFAI stands ready to help in this old-yet-new-again industry.
Leah Sandler, education director and research agronomist for MFAI, says hemp farming fits into the organization’s mission from a research and education perspective. “On the research side, we’re doing cultivar trials of different cannabidiol (CBD) hemp cultivars from across the country to figure out which ones grow best in this region and climate,” she explains.
From the educational standpoint, MFAI is acting as a valuable statewide education and networking resource. They partner with UW-Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the state agency that operates the hemp research pilot program, as well as research specialists and other entities with expertise in growing and curing hemp.
“Hemp hasn’t been grown here for many years, so there’s very little information. We’re trying to reach farmers and get as much hemp production and agronomic knowledge as we can out to them, along with information about harvesting and the legal framework,” Sandler says. “We facilitate as much networking as we can between growers, buyers and processors.”
MFAI has a series of educational webinars available online covering topics such as agronomics of grain and fiber hemp and CBD hemp, governmental regulations and DATCP sampling protocol and timelines. Sandler gives presentations about growing techniques and who is working in the hemp industry. As a nonprofit, MFAI doesn’t sell anything or promote a particular business over another.
The Farmer Field Days events, hosted by Sandler and representatives from partnering businesses and organizations, are literal field trips where farmers can go out to actual hemp farms to see what’s happening. Sandler says recent Field Day events in September were sold out. MFAI’s Hemp Information Exchange has links to resources and videos hosted by Sandler about male and female plants, pollen drift and CBD hemp storage.
One of the things Sandler has discovered regarding hemp farming is a lack of harvesting and processing infrastructures. “In lots of cases, farmers are successful in growing the plant, but then they’re not able to harvest it, or they have nobody to sell their products to, especially with the CBD boom. The markets are starting to saturate, and some farmers are unaware of how much work harvesting is going to be or the space required to dry the plants.”
Sandler is excited to be working on hemp and helping MFAI continue to be a leader in moving Wisconsin’s hemp industry forward through education and research. The organization is pursuing grants and surveying hemp entities working in the state, particularly growers and processors, and their successes and failures to compile data as a resource. They strive to address questions about harvesting techniques, cultivars ideal for Wisconsin, climate and pest management. Upcoming events are listed on michaelfields.org/calendar.
Sandler is optimistic about the future of hemp in Wisconsin, but she does see changes on the horizon with the CBD “bubble” possible leveling out, driving farmers to switch to more fiber production as infrastructure gets built. “Fiber cultivars grow quite well in the state and have less issues than CBD hemp does,” she concludes.
