This website provides information to support 21st century hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation in the Midwest. All crops have issues with respect to production; however, with a crop like hemp, which was banned in the United States for over eighty years, large information gaps have developed with regards to production, pest management and economic impact. Unlike other agronomic crops, U.S. hemp production faces additional obstacles in form of U.S. government drug policies.
The goal of this website is to inform the public about industrial hemp as a crop, and to identify the challenges faced by modern industrial hemp producers in the North Central Region—from the legal production of the crop, to the pest management that will be necessary to produce long-term sustainable yields of hemp. We have tried to use our present experience growing hemp and years of additional experiences with other cropping systems to inform our production practices. What we have learned sometimes conflicts with “conventional wisdom”. We hope this website continues to improve on what we know and provides a sound foundation for those interested in growing industrial hemp.