New for 2025 ~ The Illinois Hemp Growers Association (IHGA) is excited to offer FREE membership to students enrolled in cannabis or agriculture-related courses at colleges and universities across Illinois! This exclusive opportunity provides access to industry insights, networking, resources, and professional development to help you grow your future in hemp, cannabis, and sustainable agriculture. Eligibility: ✔ Must be currently enrolled in a cannabis or agriculture-related course ✔ Must sign up using a valid .edu email address Benefits of Membership: 🌿 Industry News & Updates 🌿 Networking with Professionals & Growers 🌿 Access to Exclusive Content and Events 🌿 Educational Resources & Career Opportunities Join the IHGA community today and connect with leaders shaping the future of hemp and sustainable agriculture in Illinois! 👉 Sign up now at illinoishga.com/pay-dues

Midwestern Hemp Research Collaborative:  Insights into Agronomic Performance and Chemical Traits of Industrial Hemp for the North Central Region | Dr. Chance Riggins The Midwestern Hemp Research Collaborative (MHRC) is a joint effort of four land grant universities, one non-profit, and commercial growers in the North Central Region to address challenges associated with industrial hemp cultivar development/selection, agronomics, pest management, and regulatory compliance. Our ongoing project leverages researcher-farmer partnerships to conduct participatory hemp cultivar and agronomic trials leading to relevant, research-based information for the hemp industry.  Outcomes through the 2024 field season and expectations for expanded trials in 2025 will be highlighted.  More info and registration for the Ag summit: https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2025-01-23-oglesby-agronomy-summit

Kifcure's 2024 Hemp Growers Series will highlight the different facets of hemp farming and help more growers be successful. Meetings will be held the 3rd Wednesday of the month starting in October 2023 and lasting until March of 2024. They will highlight different facets of hemp farming, from industrial varieties such as Fiber and Grain to the cannabinoid varieties such as CBD and CBG. The event will be held onsite at Kifcure HQ in Maple Park, IL or on a webinar link for those wishing to attend virtually. Join Kifcure and guests as they roll out our 2024 Hemp Grower Informational Series! First meeting on October 18th, 2023: Agenda: 1. Welcome and overview by CEO Jarett Burke 2. Hemp Fiber – What is it and market opportunities 3. Growing Hemp Fiber  4. Cutting Hemp Fiber 5. Tedding and Raking Hemp Fiber 6. Baling and Storing Hemp Fiber 7. Questions and Answer session 8. Happy Hour and Hor Devours Panel Will Include: Jarett Burke, Kifcure – Maple Park, IL (Moderator) Mike Baines, Two Sisters Farms – Elburn, IL (Panelist) Jesse Smedberg, Tulip Tree Gardens, Beecher, IL (Panelist) RSVP at: https://kifcure.com/event/kifcure-2024-hemp-grower-informational-series/?fbclid=IwAR1LARH0J-3u1gQMYGPlSXg-4OfrARUmZrvUR4ZvoD7rSUx-d8izI7yQgRk (https://kifcure.com/event/kifcure-2024-hemp-grower-informational-series/?fbclid=IwAR1LARH0J-3u1gQMYGPlSXg-4OfrARUmZrvUR4ZvoD7rSUx-d8izI7yQgRk) or on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1hSdTagNo(https://fb.me/e/1hSdTagNo)

The IHGA will have a table and be participating in this workshop. Hope to see some familiar faces there!

ATTN hemp growers: Please fill out this survey sent to us by Karla Gage, Associate Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at SIU! The 2023 Survey of the Most Common and Troublesome Weeds in HEMP in the U.S. and Canada is now available for the first time at:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023hemp(https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023hemp)   The National and Regional Weed Science Societies are surveying weeds in hemp for the first time as a baseline study this year. In the future, hemp will be included in the broadleaf crops weed survey that next occurs in 2025.   Common weeds refer to those weeds you most frequently see. Troublesome weeds are those that are most difficult to control (but may not be widespread).   2023 Hemp weed survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023hemp(https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023hemp)   The survey will remain open until Labor Day 2023.

If you are a farmer living in Southern Illinois, are interested in growing industrial hemp fiber, and want to help survey the feasibility of bringing hemp fiber processing to the region, please consider filling out the survey below. We are working with SIU and The Climate Economy to collect data that will help developers know where we want to grow! "Most of southern Illinois has been designated as “priority energy communities” by the President’s Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. The project will serve counties within a 50-60 mile radius of Southern Illinois University for the purposes of the initial study, with the potential to expand. This includes 15 southernmost counties, including 12 that are priority energy communities, and a majority of which suffer from chronic high unemployment, poverty and outmigration." The purpose of this survey is to understand the needs of industrial hemp (fiber/grain) farming in Southern Illinois. Compensation is in the form of drawings for a $25 Amazon gift card for those who complete this survey. Winners will be excluded in subsequent drawings. Participation is voluntary. If you choose to participate in the study, it will take approximately 7 minutes of your time. You must be at least 18 years of age to participate. Confidentiality: Responses will be anonymized. Upon receipt of the completed survey, your email will be entered for the drawing and will no longer be linked to your survey. There is no option to change responses to questions since it will be anonymous. Questions: contact Dr. Jeb, SIU Agribusiness Economics professor at ajebaraj@live.com. Take the survey: https://siucpsyc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_08KpESuHbVo8Aui

We are pleased to announce that registration is OPEN for Hemp Today: Growing & Marketing Industrial Hemp at the Center for Agrarian Learning at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL. When? October 16, 2021 from 10am - 3pm *At 10 a.m. there is an optional pre-session covering the basics of hemp cannabinoids, hemp grain, and hemp fiber. We’ll kick off officially at 11 a.m. This event is coordinated by the Center for Agrarian Learning at MCC in collaboration with Illinois Hemp Growers Association. "Get the latest on the hemp industry and regulations in Illinois and beyond, and learn about the opportunities and challenges for industrial hemp farmers, processors, and business owners. Break-out sessions will cover: how to grow cannabinoid products (tinctures, oils, topicals, edibles) including processing, from seed to bottle, and how to market hemp products including compliant labeling, retail opportunities, strategy, and more. An amazing lineup of farmers and experts will be present!" Featuring Evera Ivy of Ivy League Farms - Kankakee, Illinois Kalee Hooghkirk of Midwest Hemp Coalition - West Dundee, Illinois Stacy McCaskill of Hempstock Pharms - Woodstock, Illinois Michael Perez of Planted Root Farms - Shelbyville, Illinois Phillip Scott of WI Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association - Madison, Wisconsin Rachael Smedberg of Tulip Tree Gardens - Beecher, Illinois & Rachel Berry of the IL Hemp Growers Association - Princeton, Illinois Get registered here: https://www.mchenry.edu/events/2021/10/cal-10-16.html

Hello hemp community! Friends at the University of Wisconsin are seeking information from farmers, landowners, and community members with knowledge of and access to feral patches of industrial hemp in Illinois. Please see the following description and attachment below to learn more about their project and how you can help: "We are researchers at the University of Wisconsin studying feral hemp (aka ditch weed; Cannabis sativa) throughout the North Central Midwest, and we’re reaching out to you for help locating populations. Do you know of feral hemp growing anywhere in Wisconsin or surrounding states? If so, would you be willing to share some basic geographic and demographic information with us? Please note that not all sites will be visited, and those located on private property will not be visited (or their location information shared with others) without consent from property owners. A brief summary of our research: Midwest farmers struggle with decreased revenue resulting from globalization, technological advancements, and extreme weather events, and diversifying agriculture can increase economic potential and help build more sustainable agricultural systems in our region. Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is an alternative crop that can be used to diversify regional agriculture; however, a lack of institutional research over the past 70 years has left hemp farmers with relatively little foundational agronomic knowledge and poorly adapted cultivars. We are working to identify and characterize feral hemp populations in the Midwest in an effort to utilize this unique resource to help the burgeoning hemp industry. Our project objectives are to: 1) Characterize phenology and preserve seed from feral hemp populations, 2) Identify site conditions in feral hemp populations and relate those conditions to Eurasian Hemp Borer (an insect pest) resistance and higher yielding hemp cultivars, and 3) Identify sources of Eurasian Hemp Borer resistance from feral hemp that can be used to create higher yielding hemp cultivars for midwestern farmers. How you can help: We’re asking for the public’s help in locating populations of feral hemp to include in our study. You can share your information about feral hemp with us in one of two ways, either via iNaturalist (a free crowdsourcing nature application available through an application on your mobile device or via a web browser) or by sending your information directly to us via email or the US postal service. Detailed instructions for both options can be found in the attached documents (both pdf and Word versions attached). The time commitment is very minimal. Please share this message widely within your own networks. Your help getting the word out is greatly appreciated! If you have questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email (bbarring@uwsp.edu) or phone (715-346-2452)." Project Contacts: Brian Barringer (Department of Biology, College of Letters and Science, UW Stevens Point) Autumn Brown (Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW Madison) Shelby Ellison (Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW Madison) Russell L. Groves (Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW Madison) Sophia Risch (Department of Biology and College of Natural Resources, UW Stevens Point) Bryant Scharenbroch (College of Natural Resources, UW Stevens Point)