The university of maryland is proposing to conduct research on risk management tools, such as crop insurance and production contracts associated with industrial hemp production, and develop…

The university of maryland is proposing to conduct research on risk management tools, such as crop insurance and production contracts associated with industrial hemp production, and develop educational materials (extension publications and legal education publications) on the economic and legal issues associated with risk management tools for industrial hemp. The proposed project is in collaboration with drake university, university of kentucky, and the university of tennessee. There is limited research-based information from the land-grant system to guide small and medium-sized hemp farmers on this critical issue, and researcher/extension specialists are being contacted frequently for assistance. Our interdisciplinary team will conduct research and develop publications focused on risk management tools in industrial hemp production. The research, while focusing on four states at differing stages of industrial hemp program development in the mid-atlantic, southeast, and midwest will provide information useful across all U.S. States. The team will implement a train-the-trainer approach to educate extension faculty and AG service providers in IA, KY, MD, and TN, and host one-day workshops and webinars in each state to provide a general overview of the legal and economic issues of risk management tools with industrial hemp production. Research for this project would be guided based on concerns raised by small and medium-sized farms through interviews and other survey methods. This approach will provide small and medium-sized farms the information they need to navigate emerging opportunities associated with producing industrial hemp, that directly aligns with program area A1601.