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The Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) will host an organic hemp production and research field day Sept. 18 from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Kentucky State University Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm.

A focus of the College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems at Kentucky State University is researching and developing new opportunities for underserved and underrepresented farmers in Kentucky. Given Kentucky’s rich agricultural resources and fertile soils and the price premiums associated with organic production, Kentucky Stat has long seen organic agriculture as an area of opportunity for Kentucky producers, large and small.

The 2014 Farm Bill allowed for the reintroduction of industrial hemp into the Kentucky agricultural landscape through the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program. As this program has grown since 2014, there has been increasing interest in hemp in general, as well as in organic hemp production. Since the hemp program’s inception, Kentucky State has been a leader in hemp research and outreach in Kentucky and across the nation.

Dr. Shawn Lucas, assistant professor of organic agriculture at Kentucky State, and the Kentucky State organic program staff will host this OAK Field Day at Kentucky State’s Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm, focusing on Kentucky State’s current organic hemp research, including use of hemp in a grain rotation, and organic soil fertility via integrated livestock production. Three major hemp production aspects – fiber, grain, and nonintoxicating cannabinoids – will be discussed and included in the field tour. Additionally, Doris Hamilton, Kentucky Department of Agriculture Hemp Program manager, will be on hand to discuss the state’s pilot program, and Chad Rosen, founder and CEO of Victory Hemp, will share marketing successes of his hemp business and his vision on the future of the hemp industry in Kentucky.

Participants will have the opportunity to extend the learning with an optional visit to Kentucky State’s aquaponic production facilities and heritage hemp operation. This OAK Field Day is geared to production farmers and will focus on organic hemp production and research. Registration is recommended. Cost for this field day is $5 for OAK members; $10 for non-members.

For more information or to register, visit oak-ky.org/field-days or call (502) 517-9629.