The Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting a free event to educate current and aspiring hemp operators on February 25, 2026. The Industrial Hemp Farmer Informational Event will open at 6 p.m. CST at the Gower Translational Research Center, 1785 University Press Drive in Carbondale. Attendees must register online to participate in the event.
The Industrial Hemp Farmer Informational Event will provide educational sessions featuring industry leaders and experts on a wide variety of topics pertaining to growing industrial hemp for grain and fiber.
The event kicks off with a 15-minute networking session followed by presentations on subjects such as planting and harvesting, offtake agreements, soil health, weed management among others. Experts will also lead discussions on resources and industry developments such as industrial hemp varieties now being included in crop insurance and recently received classification under the “material” designation.
The presentations are set to run until 8 p.m. and the event will conclude with an hour-long Q&A panel.
Sponsors of the event include, the APEX Accelerator Program at SIU, IH RISE and the SIU Cannabis Science Center.
More information, call: 618-536-2355 or email: brenda.j.henderson@siu.edu.
For disability accommodations, call 618-453-5738.