February 05, 2026

Spring Hemp Preview: Webinars, Short Courses, and Conferences

53 minutes

This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock is joined by Lancaster Farming staff reporter Dan Sullivan to talk about one Pennsylvania farmer's decision that's captured national attention.

Farmer Mervin Raudabaugh Jr. turned down millions of dollars in development money to preserve his Cumberland County farm for future generations.

Sullivan explains how he found the story, why it resonated with people in and out of agriculture and what it says about the challenges farmers face regarding preserving their land.

From there the show turns to upcoming events for the hemp community in the next few months, with a focus on education and connection.

Listeners hear from Maylin Murdoch about Cornell's 2026 hemp webinar series that will be focused on how hemp is measured and evaluated in the field and in the lab.

Andrew Bish, president of the Hemp Feed Coalition, joins us to talk about a monthly webinar series that highlights research into hemp as an animal feed ingredient.

Fiber artist, hemp farmer and extension educator Laura Sullivan gives us a preview of a four-week online short course at the University of Vermont that will be focused on growing fiber hemp for textiles and building materials.

The webinar series are free. See registration links below.

And finally, we talk hemp with Morris Beegle, who introduces Industrial Hemp International, a new Denver-based conference that has evolved from the former NoCo Hemp Expo. The new show has an emphasis on fiber, grain and international supply chains.

Learn More

Dan Sullivan's story — Data center developers offered farmer $60k per acre; He preserved the land instead

lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/conservation/data-center-developers-offered-farmer-60k-per-acre-he-preserved-the-land-instead/article_a4c0fc64-53ca-45cf-9f3e-d323515b2555.html

Cornell Hemp Webinar Series

January 28 – May 6, 2026 | Every other Wednesday (1–2 p.m. ET). A free, biweekly webinar series from Cornell AgriTech focused on how hemp is measured — from field data and lab standards to fiber testing, post-harvest practices, and life-cycle assessment.

hemp.cals.cornell.edu/2025/12/24/2026-cornell-hemp-webinar-series-register-now/

Hemp Feed Coalition Webinar Series

Ongoing throughout 2026 | Monthly, third Thursday. A free, monthly research-focused webinar series examining hemp as animal feed, featuring researchers working on poultry, dairy, companion animals, and cannabinoid measurement.

hempfeedcoalition.org/webinar-series/

University of Vermont Fiber Hemp Short Course

February 24 – March 17, 2026 | Tuesdays (4 weeks). A free, four-week online short course from UVM Extension focused on growing fiber hemp for textiles and building materials, with sessions on agronomy, harvesting, and regional manufacturing.

events.uvm.edu/event/fiber-hemp-production-short-course

Industrial Hemp International (IHI)

March 25–27, 2026 | Denver, Colorado. A two-day conference (plus opening night) focused on industrial hemp fiber, grain, and international supply chains, evolving out of the former NoCo Hemp Expo.

industrialhempinternational.com/