Astoria, OR – According to the officials, this project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, reportedly seeks to develop sustainable supply chains based on the needs identified by an intertribal business consortium that link regional hemp production, processing and manufacturing to create hemp products.
The project also focuses on creating educational and workforce development opportunities to equip Native American students and adults for jobs in the emergent biobased economy.
This work builds on a $10 million USDA Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant the Global Hemp Innovation Center received in 2021 to begin defining economic opportunities for hemp grown in the western United States.
With this new grant, the Global Hemp Innovation Center has been designated by USDA as a Center of Excellence. Oregon State also worked with USDA to develop the Hemp Research Needs Roadmap, which was released last week and identifies the four areas of greatest need in the industry.
