Lincoln University agriculture program pioneers industrial hemp

As the only Missouri lab doing research on uses for hemp, Lincoln University has its sights set higher - it wants to become a national testing lab.

LU's Agriculture Department was recently awarded a USDA grant for research on hemp in the Midwest. The university is setting up a national lab designed to train students in agronomy, microbiology and genetics in relation to hemp.

One of the lab's first projects is to develop two types of animal feed using hemp as its foundation.

By extracting cannabinoids such as CBD, the byproduct left over from the plants can be used as the basis for the project. A similar process can be done by extracting oil from the plant, creating a seed cake, which can be used as feed for the animals.

"We can put a lot of new tools that we're developing into our students' curriculum," said Babu Valliyodan, assistant professor of biology and genomics. "That's how I think we got the USDA grant on extension education."

The college is always looking to find more innovative ideas about farming and agriculture, especially for smaller, local farming communities in more than 45 Missouri counties.

"I was thrilled to see the new initiatives here integrated into agriculture," he said. "Specifically focusing on small farmers, how we can contribute to their income and how we can uplift them as well."

Vallyidon is the department's team leader on industrial hemp production. It is through his team's work that Lincoln has the opportunity to develop new and innovative techniques that will inform and assist farmers across the state.

The university's focus will be entirely on the practical aspects of industrial hemp which does not contain THC, which is the component often used medically or socially.

"What we're doing is finding our best genetics for the state of Missouri and whether we can contribute to the Midwest," Valliyodan said.

There are many innovative ways hemp can be used within agriculture. Production includes the creation of cannabinoids, fiber and grain, each of which can be used to stimulate the farming economy. The department is working on breeding the plant, but is also striving to educate the state on hemp as well.

"We train the farmers, we train the growers, and we train law enforcement on hemp," he said. "We are in the process of developing new courses on how biology and academia can contribute to the industry."

The instructor said most types of hemps are highly useful because they can replace a large portion of routine waste, such as plastic. With fresh opportunities stemming from industrialized hemp, local growers and farmers have rushed to work with the new product.

"We have about 209 producers and about 811 acres planted," Valliyodan said. "Although we have almost registered about 34,000 acres in 2020."

He sees a high market potential for farmers in Missouri working with industrialized hemp. A small farmer can expect to yield $5,000-$15,000 per acre with the inclusion of CBD crops. While their research was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the university still shows very promising work with hemp seeds and hemp biomass.

There are three main objectives of the industrial hemp program at Lincoln University:

Screen different varieties of hemp across different production areas of Missouri and select which is the most beneficial.

Manage the practices such as which crop is showing promise and how farmers can avoid the issues when growing organically.

Educate the public on the benefits of hemp. The program will not only educate the participating farmers but also students in the research and farming areas. Students will have hands-on access in the LU laboratories and the two research farms located in Jefferson City.

Hemp will be grown conventionally at the George Washington Carver Farm, while the organic version will be grown at the Allen T. Busby Farm, two of Lincoln's farms in Jefferson City.

As the industrial hemp initiative continues to evolve, Valliyodan is looking for support from the Legislature to keep up the research. The extent to which hemp can be used will need state approval on several levels.

"There is some legislation that is going on to get it into a kind of a modern format helpful for the farmers," he said. "Some of the ingredients that we need are not approved yet. So, we need that kind of legislation to help as well as more support from the legislators on that research."