AURI Connects: Fields of Innovation — Exploring Food and Fiber Market Opportunities for Minnesota’s Hemp Supply Chain
Hemp is a cash crop that can fit into traditional rotations and is considered to be a low management crop with a fast maturity. Among its many potential value-added applications, hemp can be utilized for food as a seed or pressed for its oil – it contains healthy fats and a complete protein profile, including all nine essential amino acids. Hemp hurd can be processed for industrial fiber and biobased product development.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized U.S. hemp cultivation and commercialization, removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported 54,152 acres of hemp grown in 2021, with sales totaling $824 million. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) reports that last year, 425 people held licenses to grow or process hemp, totaling 2,800 acres and 318,713 ft2 grown indoors.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is partnering with stakeholders across the hemp supply chain to discuss improvements to value-added hemp applications, particularly for food and fiber products, and seeks to further explore value-chain developments by gathering hemp innovators, policy makers, industry stakeholders and key partners to discuss the potential for transforming hemp into high-value products.
Join us at Prairie PROducers (2430 West Lincoln Avenue) in Olivia, MN on July 26, 2022 from 2-4 p.m. for an in-person exploration of the current and future applications for industrial hemp in Minnesota. In sponsorship with Bremer Bank, AURI seeks to engage with participants around new use opportunities and value-chain developments for hemp.
This event is free and open to the public.