Success StoryPlan, Adapt, Execute: Taking a Hemp Grower Training Online



Plan, Adapt, Execute: Taking a Hemp Grower Training Online

Author: Nicole Gauthier

Planning Unit: Plant Pathology

Major Program: Grain Crops

Outcome: Initial Outcome

Industrial hemp was re-introduced to Kentucky in 2014 through the Farm Bill’s new pilot program.   By 2019, over 1,000 growers planted over 24,000 acres of hemp in Kentucky.  This new crop, grown primarily for cannabinoid production, is different from the fiber varieties that were common through the mid-1900s.  Thus, growers are challenged with agronomic issues and pest problems, as well as market instability.  In efforts to assist growers and provide them with unbiased, research-based information, University of Kentucky Extension specialists partnered with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to develop an extensive hemp production workshop series.  The team included agronomists, ag engineers, economists, entomologists, and a plant pathologist.  Topics included cultivar selection, site preparation, disease and insect management, budgeting and contracts, and licensing.  The series began in February, but by the second session, the program was terminated as a result of the spread of COVID-19.  As the 2020 growing season approached, the team responded by adapting the workshops to a digital webinar series that could be facilitated by county agents across Kentucky.  Following the webinar, the team further modified materials for video format.  Eleven videos that provide over 8 hours of educational sessions are now available online, as well as supporting reference guides and resource materials.  Individual videos were uploaded to YouTube, and then an annotated playlist was created on the UK hemp website.  This webpage has been promoted and distributed by email listserv, social media, and county newsletters; it remains available to all growers.  This adaptation from in-person trainings to digital format was a critical step in providing growers with vital information in a rapid timeframe.  While the health crisis affected all stakeholders, growers, and consumers, hemp farmers proceeded with their crop production.  It was critical that UK Extension remained available for support, and the UK Hemp Team will continue to disseminate information, to communicate with county agents and growers, and to support growers during this difficult season.






Stories by Nicole Gauthier


Fusarium Bud Blight Detected on Hemp in Kentucky

about 2 years ago by Nicole Gauthier

Since hemp was reintroduced in the U.S. under the 2014 Farm Bill, acreage in Kentucky increased dram... Read More


2020 Hemp Field Day Altered to Virtual Format

about 2 years ago by Nicole Gauthier

Since the reintroduction of hemp to the US after a 60+ year hiatus, university specialists have work... Read More


Stories by Plant Pathology


Fungicide resistance monitoring in Kentucky agronomic field crops

about 2 years ago by Carl Bradley

Foliar fungicide use in agronomic field crops has increased greatly over the last decade. This incre... Read More


Development of a soybean cyst nematode testing program and field survey

about 2 years ago by Carl Bradley

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most destructive soybean pathogen in the United States. In 2... Read More