ELBA TWP. — A Thumb Regional Hemp Workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at the Lapeer Country Club, 3786 Hunt Rd. in Elba Township. The workshop is open to Thumb-area producers/ processors.
Hemp is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 10,000 years ago.
The free workshop is sponsored by Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Dept. of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) and the Lapeer Development Corp.
The workshop will include discussion on the history of hemp in North America, relevant laws and regulations, use and markets as well as agronomy and economics. A session will be on results of the 2019 growing season, and what the State of Michigan has discovered during the process and anticipated issues in 2020.
Speakers will include:
• Eric Anderson, Michigan State University, Industrial Hemp: “A New Crop for Michigan;”
• Gina Alessandri, Hemp Director, MDARD;
• Craig Van Buren, Director, Laboratory Division, MDARD, “Results from the 2019 growing season;”
• Dr. Fabio Rodi, founder and CEO of Icon Processors, “Hemp from the Processor’s Perspective.”
To register, email Laura Tyll at laura@hursoncounty.com or call 989-269- 6431
