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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, a major program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, will host the first-ever National Hemp Symposium on Feb. 9 and 10.

Before the hemp season of 2019, Oregon State’s College of Agricultural Sciences launched the Global Hemp Innovation Center, the largest, most comprehensive hemp research center in the nation. The launch coincided with hemp being removed from the federal list of controlled substances and its great potential to become a major agricultural commodity.

“We are at a critical time for the newly emerging American hemp industry that depends on research for science-based decision-making to accelerate progress towards stable production and dependable markets,” said Jay Noller, director of the Global Hemp Innovation Center. “This symposium will offer a deep dive into some of these most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the hemp industry as the future is truly limited only by our imagination.”

The symposium will include presentations from leaders across world economic sectors on what the industry sees as the future and how hemp may fit into their visions. Hemp has the potential to impact a variety of industries, including agriculture, health, energy, manufacturing, food and beverage, transportation, and construction.

Registration is now open for the conference, which also includes a hemp film festival. Names of conference speakers are expected to be announced in coming weeks. For more information about this virtual conference and to register to attend visit: https://nationalhempsymposium.org/.