Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest) | 1730 - Hemp | 2000 - Chemistry | 50% |
| 403 - Waste Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse | 1730 - Hemp | 2020 - Engineering | 30% |
| 601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management | 1730 - Hemp | 3020 - Education | 20% |
The 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized the commercial cultivation and processing of industrial hemp, provides new economic opportunities for small and medium farms. For many farmstoday, their major value continues to be in extracting essential cannabinoid oils from seeds, leaves, and flowers, principally cannabidiol (CBD). However, future realization of broad profitability and environmental sustainability for the emerging industrial hemp industry will critically depend on directed research to develop practical and implementation-ready industrial hemp hybrid oilseed and fiber cultivars to extract more essential oils and utilize biomass in biocomposites, ground covers, and packaging. An increase in market diversification opportunities of this new crop has a potential to mitigate economic risks and increase farm income.In summary, the project goals are to build a centralized knowledge base to provide economic and environmental sustainable uses of the whole industrial hemp plant through a pilot growth operation of hybrid cultivar and subsequent manufacturing of hemp-derived products in partnership with industry to serve small and medium US farms. Specifically, we will engage in concerted efforts to co-engineer hemp crops and products to synthesize a unified, interactive learning ecosystem. Our vision is perfectly aligned with NIFA's Strategic Goal for the Small and Medium Sized Farms program by advancing hemp production in biochemicals and bioproducts to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability. The project outcomes will be shared with key stakeholders at field days/regional meetings to guide commercialization of our applications as well as contribute to the business and regulatory frameworks for the future industrial hemp industry in the US.
This project goals are to build a centralized knowledge base to provide economic and environmental sustainable uses of the whole industrial hemp plant through a pilot growth operation of hybrid cultivar and subsequent manufacturing of hemp-derived products in partnership with industry to serve small and medium US farms. Specifically, we will engage in parallel efforts to co-engineer hemp crops and products to synthesize a unified, interactive learning ecosystem. The proposed project objectives to support the project goals are shown below:
We will work collaboratively with our industrial partners and extension programs to harvest hemp varieties, collect, and prepare various feedstocks for essential oils extraction, fibers, and biopolymers development and apply them for the production of molded packaging and various ground covers configurations. Hemp varieties of different market class (fiber, seed, and floral material) will be planted at the selected small and medium-sized farms and will be managed by our industrial partners. All plots will be executed under best management practices using recommendations from crop specialists. Our first goal is to optimize cultivation practices. We will draw up a robust Design of Experiments (DOEs) in which we will parameterize and determine the most relevant factors for the best crop. The effect of post-harvest handling variables such as retting, moisture/drying, storage, decortication, etc., will be studied in collaboration with our business consultant. Our industrial partner will conduct the essential oils extraction studies and will provide the hemp spent biomass for conversion to fibers and biopolymers. We will document the various contents of cannabinoids, general oil contents, fiber yield, and total cycle time as a function of location. Student benefits will include drafting experimental parameters, evaluating hemp agronomy practices, engaging in data analysis, repeating key experiments, and ultimately developing a framework for best hemp agronomy practices with important data from the NC environment.Hemp biomass can be processed through retting (decortication), which for our study, mechanical decortication will be used. Although many chemical means exist for hemp fiber production, the kraft process may be the most industrially relevant process. Recently, our work has demonstrated a novel chemical-free "autohydrolysis" process that uses water at elevated temperatures to defiberize hemp hurds into fibers. Kraft, alkaline hydrolysis, and autohydrolysis pulping processes will use to liberate the fibers, followed by residual lignin removal techniques. The lignin released has valuable properties that can be exploited in many commodity applications, including composites, coatings, dopants, dispersants, soil adjuvants, and concrete fortification (e.g., hempcrete). Various processing methods for making nanocellulose-based materials have been developed. We have shown that autohydrolyzed pulp fibers from hemp hurds can be made into nanocellulosics (i.e., nanofibrillated gels). Further, we will explore various parameters such as time, temperature, solids content, and refining on such processing. Morphology, crystallinity, particle size, charge, solids, and viscosity will be measured and evaluated for various composite applications based on HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) profiles. Pulp fibers from hemp hurds will be processed for evaluation in pulp-molded trays as part of an on-going greater focused internal effort to replace expanded polystyrene foam trays. The system will include microfibrillated cellulose with various functional additives added to the slurry of the pulp fibers for molding. Further, the application of a coating formula based on the same system will be evaluated by spray coating of the molded products. The molded products will be evaluated for resistance to air, water, and oil/grease and rigidity in a simulated use scenario, and repulpability and recyclability tests. The developed molded products will provide sustainable food packaging alternatives with both high durability and low hydrophilicity. Students will become exposed to innovations in product development and design for a variety of applications. Such work provides ample opportunities for student internships in companies identified as vitally interested in such work.Biobased hemp films using cellulose nanofibrillated and functional additives will be developed for crop and soil covers. We will test crosslinkers and plasticizers at various addition levels to develop bio-based low-cost, eco-friendly crop and soil covers. Based on our past work, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) will be prepared from hemp fibers using a Masuko Supermasscolloider ultra-fine grinder that may include chemical modifications using various chemical precursors. MFC films from modified and unmodified samples will be prepared using solvent casting and dried by air drying and evaluated for porosity, water resistance, mechanical strength, soil degradation, UV-stability in a simulated use scenario, including biodegradation tests. Further, a cradle-to-grave techno-economic analysis will be conducted for each bioproducts created from hemp biomass. Environmental life cycle analysis (LCA), comparing hemp fibers versus current market alternatives, using multiple individual impact categories and a single score output to compare scenarios will be done according to the ISO LCA standard. The multidisciplinary nature of this last part of our study has a number of advantages and opportunities for a host of students to engage in cutting edge work at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, and life cycle analysis.
We will work collaboratively with our industrial partners and extension programs to harvest hemp varieties, collect, and prepare various feedstocks for essential oils extraction, fibers, and biopolymers development and apply them for the production of molded packaging and various ground covers configurations. Hemp varieties of different market class (fiber, seed, and floral material) will be planted at the selected small and medium-sized farms and will be managed by our industrial partners. All plots will be executed under best management practices using recommendations from crop specialists. Our first goal is to optimize cultivation practices. We will draw up a robust Design of Experiments (DOEs) in which we will parameterize and determine the most relevant factors for the best crop. The effect of post-harvest handling variables such as retting, moisture/drying, storage, decortication, etc., will be studied in collaboration with our business consultant. Our industrial partner will conduct the essential oils extraction studies and will provide the hemp spent biomass for conversion to fibers and biopolymers. We will document the various contents of cannabinoids, general oil contents, fiber yield, and total cycle time as a function of location. Student benefits will include drafting experimental parameters, evaluating hemp agronomy practices, engaging in data analysis, repeating key experiments, and ultimately developing a framework for best hemp agronomy practices with important data from the NC environment.
Hemp biomass can be processed through retting (decortication), which for our study, mechanical decortication will be used. Although many chemical means exist for hemp fiber production, the kraft process may be the most industrially relevant process. Recently, our work has demonstrated a novel chemical-free "autohydrolysis" process that uses water at elevated temperatures to defiberize hemp hurds into fibers. Kraft, alkaline hydrolysis, and autohydrolysis pulping processes will use to liberate the fibers, followed by residual lignin removal techniques. The lignin released has valuable properties that can be exploited in many commodity applications, including composites, coatings, dopants, dispersants, soil adjuvants, and concrete fortification (e.g., hempcrete). Various processing methods for making nanocellulose-based materials have been developed. We have shown that autohydrolyzed pulp fibers from hemp hurds can be made into nanocellulosics (i.e., nanofibrillated gels). Further, we will explore various parameters such as time, temperature, solids content, and refining on such processing. Morphology, crystallinity, particle size, charge, solids, and viscosity will be measured and evaluated for various composite applications based on HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) profiles. Pulp fibers from hemp hurds will be processed for evaluation in pulp-molded trays as part of an on-going greater focused internal effort to replace expanded polystyrene foam trays. The system will include microfibrillated cellulose with various functional additives added to the slurry of the pulp fibers for molding. Further, the application of a coating formula based on the same system will be evaluated by spray coating of the molded products. The molded products will be evaluated for resistance to air, water, and oil/grease and rigidity in a simulated use scenario, and repulpability and recyclability tests. The developed molded products will provide sustainable food packaging alternatives with both high durability and low hydrophilicity. Students will become exposed to innovations in product development and design for a variety of applications. Such work provides ample opportunities for student internships in companies identified as vitally interested in such work.Biobased hemp films using cellulose nanofibrillated and functional additives will be developed for crop and soil covers. We will test crosslinkers and plasticizers at various addition levels to develop bio-based low-cost, eco-friendly crop and soil covers. Based on our past work, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) will be prepared from hemp fibers using a Masuko Supermasscolloider ultra-fine grinder that may include chemical modifications using various chemical precursors. MFC films from modified and unmodified samples will be prepared using solvent casting and dried by air drying and evaluated for porosity, water resistance, mechanical strength, soil degradation, UV-stability in a simulated use scenario, including biodegradation tests. Further, a cradle-to-grave techno-economic analysis will be conducted for each bioproducts created from hemp biomass. Environmental life cycle analysis (LCA), comparing hemp fibers versus current market alternatives, using multiple individual impact categories and a single score output to compare scenarios will be done according to the ISO LCA standard. The multidisciplinary nature of this last part of our study has a number of advantages and opportunities for a host of students to engage in cutting edge work at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, and life cycle analysis.
Target Audience
US small and medium-sized farms interested in growing industrial hemp for fiber, seed, and essential oils feedstock; pulp and paper companies interested in hemp pulp fibers and molded packaging products; food and chemicals companies interested hemp biopolymers; and the companies interested in ground covers as a sustainable agriculture practice.
Changes / Problems
Our work focused on hemp fiber varieties, aligning with the preferences of our growers, who showed less enthusiasm for cultivating seed or floral varieties. Further, flooding impacted one of the cultivation sites, resulting in no yield from that plot. To enhance our research breadth and depth, we're actively seeking to involve more farmers in our program, exploring a wider range of hemp varieties. Simultaneously, we're collaborating with our extension program to conduct controlled agronomic studies. This strategy enables us to gather detailed data through controlled studies at our research station while also extending our collaborative efforts to include both small and medium-scale farms.
Training & Professional Development
Several graduate and undergraduate students have had access to opportunities for participating in the hemp field day/regional meeting where they were able to interact with growers who are managing small and medium sized farms.
Dissemination Streams
We continue to disseminate the results to communities of interest, including growers, industrial partners, extension specialists, and researchers. The project has provided training and professional development activities for graduate and undergraduate students through visits and close interactions with growers and industrial partners.?
Next Reporting Steps
In the second year of our project, we made substantial progress by partnering with local farmers and industry leaders, which enabled us to gather valuable insights on the cycle of hemp cultivation and its transformation into eco-friendly products. We successfully engaged three local farmers in North Carolina for a pilot phase focusing on cultivating diverse hemp varieties. Additionally, we executed trials at our Mountain Research Station at two different locations, supported by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State, specifically targeting hemp fiber varieties in response to growers' preferences, noting a diminished interest in seed or floral varieties. Our ongoing efforts include broadening our network of participating farmers to explore more varieties and enhancing our agronomic research through our extension program. This year, we aim to replicate our planting efforts on similar sites, with an emphasis on monitoring of weather patterns. The data we collect, encompassing various agronomic factors like seed volume, fertilization techniques, soil composition, and key cultivation timelines, will inform the creation of hemp cultivation standards for North Carolina. These guidelines will be publicly accessible, offering a valuable resource for those interested in industrial hemp farming. We will also focus on refining techniques for producing biodegradable ground cover films and molded packaging from harvested hemp, with plans to implement these innovations in field trials later in the year. The project continues to progress smoothly, aligning with our scheduled plans. Further, we are preparing for two presentations titled "Industrial hemp agro-residues valorization into ground covers for agricultural sustainability" and "Modifications, Characterization, and Applications of Nanocellulose to Enhance Barrier Performance of Packaging Materials" at upcoming industry conferences, ACS Spring 2024 and the Advanced Coating Symposium at TappiCon 2024, respectively. We are also preparing three manuscripts. Additionally, we plan to host a hemp field day later this year, showcasing our project outcomes while soliciting inputs from the stakeholders.
Target Audience
US small and medium-sized farms interested in growing industrial hemp for fiber, seed, and essential oils feedstock; pulp and paper companies interested in hemp pulp fibers and molded packaging products; food and chemicals companies interested hemp biopolymers; and the companies interested in ground covers as a sustainable agriculture practice.
Changes / Problems
Our work focused on hemp fiber varieties, aligning with the preferences of our growers, who showed less enthusiasm for cultivating seed or floral varieties. Further, flooding impacted one of the cultivation sites, resulting in no yield from that plot. To enhance our research breadth and depth, we're actively seeking to involve more farmers in our program, exploring a wider range of hemp varieties. Simultaneously, we're collaborating with our extension program to conduct controlled agronomic studies. This strategy enables us to gather detailed data through controlled studies at our research station while also extending our collaborative efforts to include both small and medium-scale farms.
Training & Professional Development
Several graduate and undergraduate students have had access to opportunities for participating in the hemp field day/regional meeting where they were able to interact with growers who are managing small and medium sized farms.
Dissemination Streams
We continue to disseminate the results to communities of interest, including growers, industrial partners, extension specialists, and researchers. The project has provided training and professional development activities for graduate and undergraduate students through visits and close interactions with growers and industrial partners.?
Next Reporting Steps
In the second year of our project, we made substantial progress by partnering with local farmers and industry leaders, which enabled us to gather valuable insights on the cycle of hemp cultivation and its transformation into eco-friendly products. We successfully engaged three local farmers in North Carolina for a pilot phase focusing on cultivating diverse hemp varieties. Additionally, we executed trials at our Mountain Research Station at two different locations, supported by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State, specifically targeting hemp fiber varieties in response to growers' preferences, noting a diminished interest in seed or floral varieties. Our ongoing efforts include broadening our network of participating farmers to explore more varieties and enhancing our agronomic research through our extension program. This year, we aim to replicate our planting efforts on similar sites, with an emphasis on monitoring of weather patterns. The data we collect, encompassing various agronomic factors like seed volume, fertilization techniques, soil composition, and key cultivation timelines, will inform the creation of hemp cultivation standards for North Carolina. These guidelines will be publicly accessible, offering a valuable resource for those interested in industrial hemp farming. We will also focus on refining techniques for producing biodegradable ground cover films and molded packaging from harvested hemp, with plans to implement these innovations in field trials later in the year. The project continues to progress smoothly, aligning with our scheduled plans. Further, we are preparing for two presentations titled "Industrial hemp agro-residues valorization into ground covers for agricultural sustainability" and "Modifications, Characterization, and Applications of Nanocellulose to Enhance Barrier Performance of Packaging Materials" at upcoming industry conferences, ACS Spring 2024 and the Advanced Coating Symposium at TappiCon 2024, respectively. We are also preparing three manuscripts. Additionally, we plan to host a hemp field day later this year, showcasing our project outcomes while soliciting inputs from the stakeholders. <br><br>
<br>What was accomplished under these goals? This project opens new economic opportunities for small and medium-sized farms by promoting profitability and environmentalsustainability. It focuses on advancing practical, ready-to-implement industrial hemp cultivation for fiber and utilizing biomass in biocomposites, ground covers, and molded packaging as an alternative to single-use plastics. We aim to establish a centralized knowledge hub for economically and environmentally sustainable applications of industrial hemp, encompassing pilot cultivation and manufacturing hemp-derived products in collaboration with the industry, primarily to benefit small and medium-sized US farms. Our findings were shared with stakeholders (growers, industry, researchers, public, governmental agencies, and affiliated stakeholders) during hemp field days and national meetings to guide commercialization efforts and contribute to the business and regulatory frameworks for the future US industrial hemp sector. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa), known for its fiber, seeds, and oil, is set to dominate the sustainable fiber market due to its environmental benefits and versatility, offering an alternative to traditional rotational crops.Research has shown that industrial hemp is one of the best carbon sinks, outperforming forests and commercial crops in CO2 bio-sequestration. Despite its potential, the US heavily relies on imported hemp products. Further, the grower faces challenges such as seed availability for local climates, limited agronomic data, the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on crop quality, and the development of processing methods for valuable bioproducts, with significant gaps in understanding the agronomic practices' impact on hemp growth and fiber quality. This report provides year 2 data based on agronomic practices such as variety selection, site selection, seeding, planting, soil testing, fertilizer use, weather effects, harvesting methods, and conversion pathways to biochemicals and bioproducts to develop hemp bioeconomy in the US. Objective 1: Understand the effect of agronomy practices and post-harvesting handling to produce hemp hybrid crops in US environments on the potential variability across the intended use of three different market classes (fiber, seed, and floral materials). Our project team collaborated with three small and medium-sized farms and the NC State Research Station to cultivate hemp and collect agronomy data across North Carolina. Cultivated hemp across NC in collaboration with three small and medium-sized farms and the NC State Research Station Collected agronomy data from various processing steps. Data and results are presented in the detailed technical report. Objective 2: Evaluate and optimize a sustainable and low-cost extraction and synthesis process tailored for hybrid hemp crops utilizing whole hemp biomass, including hurds, the lowest value but the highest content component of the hemp plant to maximize yield and quality of essential oils, fibers, and biopolymers.Our project team conducted various experiments involving physical and mechanical manipulation to obtain bast, hurds, and whole stems for the synthesis of fibers and biopolymers. The fibers manufactured from hurd biomass through alkali treatments, both with and without bleaching, were used to produce microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) biopolymers. Evaluated various mechanical and physical processes to extract bast, hurds, and whole stems for fiber and biopolymer synthesis. Synthesized fibers from hurd biomass via soda and kraft pulping treatments, with and without bleaching. Produced microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) biopolymers. Documented various processing and material processes. Objective 3: Evaluate and optimize fibers and compatible biopolymers for applications in molded packaging and ground cover films for agriculture applications.Our team produced biocomposites and films for use as ground covers and conducted initial testing for applications in molded packaging and ground cover. Produced biocomposites and films for molded packaging and ground cover applications. Conducted extensive mechanical, physical, and chemical analysis of the developed samples. Objective 4: Optimize various processes guided by techno-economics, life-cycle analysis, and regulatory frameworks.Our team has finalized an extensive literature review related to TEA/LCA analysis. The data from agronomy, harvesting, processing, and conversion--sourced from both literature and experiments conducted--will be utilized for TEA/LCA analysis across various scenarios, in collaboration with industrial partners. Completed a literature review related to hemp agronomy, harvesting, processing, conversion, and TEA/LCA analysis. Collected initial agronomy, harvesting, processing, and conversion data from literature and experiments conducted. Developed scenarios for TEA/LCA in collaboration with industrial partners. Finalized a review paper for publication in a high-impact journal. <br><br><b>Publications</b><br>
Target Audience
US small and medium-sized farms interested in growing industrial hemp for fiber, seed, essential oils feedstock; pulp and paper companies interested in hemp pulp fibers feedstock for molded packaging products; food and chemicals companies interested hemp biopolymers; and the companies interested in ground covers as a sustainable agriculture practice.
Changes / Problems
We were able to recruit three small and medium farmers across NC for the hemp pilot-grow phase in which they are managing different varietals. However, we conducted trials for hemp fiber variety due to the grower's interest. They were not interested in growing seed or floral varieties. Two growers' plots were flooded and didn't see produce any output. We are working on recruiting more growers to our program for additional verities as well as working with our extension program officer to do more controlled agronomic studies. Our current approach will allow us to collect more controlled data from the research station while continuing to expand our efforts with the small and medium farms.
Training & Professional Development
Several graduate and undergraduate students have had access to opportunities for participating in the hemp field day/regional meeting where they were able to interact with growers, whichare managing small and medium farms.
Dissemination Streams
Our team is quite diverse including growers, industrial partners, extension specialists and researchers. The project provided training and professional development activities to the graduate and undergraduate students through visits and close interactions with growers and industrial partners.
Next Reporting Steps
We have achieved significant progress in the first year of our project through work with growers and industrial partners in which we collected preliminary data related to hemp agronomic practices and conversion of hemp biomass to bioproducts. We also faced a number of challenges, especially due to the pandemic. For example, we had issues hiring a graduate student. We put in extra effort and finally have highly qualified graduate students working on our project. We were able to recruit three small and medium farmers across NC for the hemp pilot-grow phase in which they are managing different varietals. However, we conducted trials for hemp fiber variety due to the grower's interest. They were not interested in growing seed or floral varieties. Two growers' plots were flooded and didn't see produce any output. We are working on recruiting more growers to our program for additional verities as well as working with our extension program officer to do more controlled agronomic studies. Our current approach will allow us to collect more controlled data from the research station while continuing to expand our efforts with the small and medium farms. <br><br>
<br>What was accomplished under these goals? This project provides new economic opportunities for small and medium farms by realizing broad profitability and environmental sustainability through directed research to develop practical and implementation-ready industrial hemp production for fiber cultivars and utilize biomass in biocomposites, ground covers, and packaging. In summary, we are building a centralized knowledge base to provide economic and environmentally sustainable uses of the whole industrial hemp plant through a pilot growth operation and subsequent manufacturing of hemp-derived products in partnership with industry to serve small and medium US farms. The project outcomes were widely shared with key stakeholders (growers, industry, researchers, public, governmental agencies, and affiliated stakeholders) at field day/regional meeting atResearch Station in Mills River, Ashville, NC, to guide commercialization of our applications as well as contribute to the business and regulatory frameworks for the future industrial hemp industry in the US. Hemp (Cannabis sativa), popularly known as industrial hemp, is a renewable resource which is primarily exploited for fiber (bast and hurd), medicinal seeds, leaves, grain, and flowers. However, the market for hemp fibers is anticipated to rapidly expand due to a burgeoning demand for sustainable fibers. Hemp has vast potential to substitute for other rotational crops to increase farmers' agronomic and financial independence due to a multiplicity of crop physical and chemical characteristics. Research has shown that industrial hemp is one of the best carbon sinks since it can bio-sequestrate far more CO2per hectare than any forest or commercial crop.Most hemp products used currently in the US are imported. The challenges to industrial hemp production and valorization include availability of seeds for local environments, lack of agronomic data, understanding of the effect of biotic and abiotic factors, and availability of processing and conversion pathways for valuable bioproducts. For example, very little data is available on the general impact of agronomic methods on the efficiency of hemp plant growth and fiber quality attributes. Therefore, this report provides year 1 data based on agronomic practices such as variety selection, site selection, seeding, planting, soil testing, use of fertilizers, the effect of weather, and harvesting methods, as well as conversion pathways to biochemicals and bioproducts. Objective 1: Understand the effect of agronomy practices and post-harvesting handling to produce hemp hybrid crops in US environments on the potential variability across the intended use of three different market classes (fiber, seed, and floral materials). Collaborated with three small and medium farms to cultivate hemp across NC Collocated agronomy data from various processing steps. Detailed ata and results are shown below in the detailed technical report. Data collected and discussion of results and key outcomes Objective 2:Evaluate and optimize a sustainable and low-cost extraction and synthesis process tailored for hybrid hemp crops utilizing whole hemp biomass including hurds, the lowest value but the highest content component of the hemp plant to maximize yield and quality of essential oils, fibers, and biopolymers. Conducted various experiments through physical and mechanical manipulation to obtain bast, hurds, and whole stems for fiber and biopolymer synthesis. Manufactured fibers from hurd biomass via alkali treatments with and without bleaching Fabricated microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) biopolymers Data collected anddiscussion of results and key outcomes Objective 3:Evaluate and optimize fibers and compatible biopolymers for applications in molded packaging and ground cover films for agriculture applications. Produced composites and films (ground covers) for initial feasibility studies. Data and results are highlighted in the detailed technical report. Objective 4:Optimize various processes guided by techno-economics, life-cycle analysis, and regulatory frameworks. Conducted extensive literature review related to TEA/LCA analysis. Collected initial agronomy, harvesting, processing and conversion data from literature and experiments conducted across NC. Developing various scenarios for TEA/LCS in collaboration with industrial partners. Finalizing a review paper for publication in a high impact journal. Visit to Harrison Farm - Students Interactions and Field Tour: The Hempville with NC State students and community educated the process of farming of Industrial hemp and discussed some of its sustainable applications along with environmental benefits. On July 13th, 2022, a farm visit day was organized for that purpose. Hemp Day Workshop:A hemp farm day workshop in collaboration with Hempville and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) extension program for hemp farmers around North Carolina was organized in the Ashville area on January 31st 2023. Over 70 participants registered for this workshop. The agenda included sharing the project results from hemp agronomic practices to biomaterials production to finished products. The project developed significant knowledge from agronomic practices, harvesting, and processing to fiber and product development. The data collected based on farming variables, including seed quantity, fertilization process, soil analysis, and planting/harvesting dates from the hemp fields, will be used to develop standards for industrial hemp farming in the State of North Carolina and around the US. These standards will be available for growers interested in industrial hemp farming via our extension webpage. Overall, the project is on track and progressing as planned. <br><br><b>Publications</b><br>