Hemp was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, permitting its cultivation and production. Last week, the U.S. agriculture department published a roadmap for hemp that focused on the crop’s research needs.
The roadmap is divided into the following areas: best production practices, genetics and breeding, consistency and transparency, and biomanufacturing for end uses. The department explained that these areas were important in strengthening research on the hemp industry and focused on the entire hemp supply chain.
The roadmap is the outcome of a National Hemp Industry workshop held in 2022 that was organized by the Global Hemp Innovation Center at Oregon State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The workshop centered on sustainable agricultural production, plant genetics and breeding, product manufacturing and supply chains, harvest and materials processing, testing and compliance, and economics and markets.
The department also announced that it would be allocating $10 million for research on hemp via Oregon State University. These funds will specifically be used to study how products and materials made from hemp can become economic drivers of development for Native American tribes in the Northwest. This comes after 13 tribes within the geopolitical boundaries of Washington, California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Montana showed interest in investing in biobased manufacturing and hemp production and the use of their reservations.
The department of agriculture revealed that this project would offer restitution to Native American nations as their land contributions helped establish the Land Grant University system. In addition, the department proposed the development of a private-public consortium centered on streamlining research on the crop. This consortium would also encourage positive cooperation and interactions.
In its press release, the department underscored the importance of applying knowledge obtained from America’s agricultural economy to the hemp industry. It explained that this would create a conducive environment for growth and investment, adding that it would also allow products to be produced at scale and delivered to consumers globally.
Additionally, the department discussed the importance of research on hemp, explaining that it would help identify new innovations and applications for hemp production while also facilitating the development of a successful hemp industry.
The department’s efforts are expected to advance America’s competitiveness in biomanufacturing and biotechnology on a global scale.
In other news, a new federally funded study identified new techniques for differentiating marijuana and hemp. The FDA is also looking over a proposal to permit the use of hemp seed meal as feed for hens.
The analytics instruments which enterprises such as Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC) make can make a valuable contribution toward facilitating the growth of the hemp industry, especially at this time when it is vital to conduct definitive tests that differentiate hemp from marijuana products.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ASTC
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