The Southern Hemp Expo (SHE) welcomes back regenerative hemp farmer and renowned author Doug Fine as opening keynote speaker and Emcee of the Let’s Talk Hemp Agriculture and Soil Science Symposium. For Doug, climate change mitigation should be part of everyone’s business “if we’re interested in humanity having a habitable planet,” Doug says. “This year, it was a 350,000-acre wildfire that halted eight miles away from the Funky Butte Ranch when the rains finally came to New Mexico. Another close call on the front lines of climate change has me even more fired up, so to speak, about climate change… and how hemp farmers can have an impact on farm policy.” Come hear Doug and get fired up yourself.

A new campaign, Hemp Exemption, aims to draft legislation exempting industrial hemp from DEA testing requirements in order to free-up farmers to grow hemp for stalk and seed as a rotational row crop similar to wheat, soy, and corn. Featuring Morgan Tweet from pacesetting producer IND Hemp, learn how exemption advocates are leading efforts to affect the upcoming 2023 Federal Farm Bill to give the hemp industry a chance to separate out the industrial uses of hemp from medicinal-and-wellness cannabinoid flower. “Stifling state and federal regulations are hindering the growth of grain and fiber,” Tweet says. “Grain and fiber hemp can and should look much more like traditional agriculture.”

It wasn’t that long ago when food retailers were hesitant to sell products made with hemp seed or hemp seed oil for fear of reprisals from the U.S. DEA or other regulators. Today, hemp is considered a “superfood,” and from plant-based hemp milk and veggie burgers to hemp hearts and sports nutrition bars, you can find nutrient-dense hemp foods pretty much everywhere. In addition, demand keeps growing for hemp grain, high in protein and essential fatty acids. Hemp is gaining attention, too, as a nutrient-rich feed source for livestock and other animals, promising to open a valuable animal feed market for hemp producers. Learn about the best varieties, processes and trends in hemp grain production, as well as industry and consumer trends for business and product ideas.

Located in Southeast Warren County, NC, the Black-owned Brown Family Farm was established in 1865 by first generation farmer Byron Brown. Today, Patrick Brown is the fourth generation family member leading production on the estate, including cultivated grain and industrial hemp and a line of hemp-derived CBD products under the Hempfinity brand. Learn how Patrick took the family farm in the direction of producing hemp and value-added products derived from hemp, and how he helps others in agriculture and Black farm communities via consulting, education, outreach and support.

Located in the fertile San Luis Valley in Colorado, and employing engineers, machine fabricators, researchers and service teams, Formation Agriculture focuses on meeting the specialized equipment needs of hemp producers and processors, whether it be for the purpose of producing seed, fiber or flower. Here, Corbett Hefner of Formation Ag talks about trends in hemp production and technology, and the importance of being nimble and being able to adapt to new ways to process hemp.

It’s all about the genetics, you’ll often hear in the hemp industry, and the importance of reliable, Certified, high quality premium seed and/or clones cannot be overstated. Hear from top seed specialists, geneticists, plant breeders and experts on certified seed in this seminar about the latest breakthroughs in cannabis genetics and research to modulate cannabinoid composition and maximize crop quality, yield, production and scale.

Michigan-based Christie Apple is an agronomy and soil health specialist at Timac Agro USA. A self-proclaimed ‘soil nerd’, Christie loves everything to do with soil health and plant nutrition, and she has worked with hemp as a valuable crop in regenerating soil health. She works with clients, trains farmers and other agronomists, and in her free time, she and her husband (also an agronomist!) and family farm their own land. In this seminar, Christie will identify what measures she uses to characterize soil health and how hemp fits in a strategy to recover and restore the soil because of its specific attributes. 

Conventional agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, but what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if, through soil conservation and regenerative practices, agriculture instead could reverse the process, taking CO2 out of the atmosphere where it is heating the planet, and putting it back where it belongs – in the soil? This panel, featuring experts in regenerative hemp production and soil health, will cover the importance of regenerative methods to mitigate climate change, and explore how farmers can adopt such practices to maximize quality and yield while rebuilding soils and reducing the need for synthetic inputs.