8/17/2022 - NC State University held two official field days in 2022 highlighting our hemp research. The first one was the 2022 Fiber Hemp Field Day held on July 19th at the Piedmont Research Station in Salisbury, NC. The second one was included in the 2022 Tomato Field Day on August 11th at the research station in Mills River.

The fiber hemp field day was organized by Dr. David Suchoff, alternative crops extension specialist and researcher in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He, along with his staff and students and the staff at the Piedmont Research Station put on an outstanding field day.

David and his graduate students have a large number of hemp studies at the Piedmont Research Station this year. They include:
-Second year of a leguminous cover crop nitrogen fertility trial (drone image below).
-Year one of a collaborative trial with Cornell to define genetics behind flowering time. (photo below)
-Year one of a collaborative trial with Cornell to trial grain and fiber varieties for the Southeast.
-Floral variety trial.
-Year one of no-till fiber hemp trial to manage weeds.
-Year one of on-farm fiber hemp trial with three farmers to understand production and quality.
-Year two of diploid-triploid pollen sensitivity trial.

The second field day including NC State hemp research was the annualTomato Field Day held at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, NC on August 11. There were a lot of jokes about tomatoes and hemp, but since this was our only hemp study on the research station, and there are many tomato growers interested in hemp, we decided to include it on this field day.

This study is led by Dr. Jeanine Davis, extension specialist and researcher in the Department of Horticultural Science. She and her staff and students run the NC Alternative Crops & Organics Program.

Timing was perfect to view the mountain floral hemp variety trial as harvests commenced the following week.

The entomologists were interested in the insects on the floral hemp; many are the same as on tomatoes.

The Suchoff and Davis research teams collaborate on the floral hemp variety trials, duplicating them in the very different growing environments of the mountains and piedmont.

Reports on these studies will be made available on the NC State Extension Hemp webportal later in the year. Follow us there for updates.