The Cutting Edge Podcast

Dr. Shelby Ellison, Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at UW-Madison, provides an update on the research priorities her lab is focused on related to hemp.

An update on state and federal hemp regulations currently being debated and their potential impacts on the cannabis industry in Wisconsin and beyond. Our guests are Dr. Shelby Ellison and Rob Pero.

Dr. Shelby Ellison is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at UW-Madison whose research focuses on preserving, characterizing, and utilizing genetic diversity in hemp and other alternative crops.

Rob Pero is an entrepreneur, visionary creative director, and advocate dedicated to creating economic opportunities for Indigenous communities. He is founder of multiple organizations and businesses, including Perodigm, Indigenous Business Group, Canndigenous, Ripley Green Apothecary, and the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association.

A conversation with two experienced honeyberry growers in the Upper Midwest: George Terwey of Haskap Minnesota (Stillwater, MN) and Phil Stowe of Walking Plants Orchard (Lake Osakis, MN).

Haskap Minnesota: https://www.facebook.com/people/Haskap-Minnesota/100082913367876/

Walking Plants Orchard: https://www.walkingplantsorchard.com/

Register here for the Upper Midwest Honeyberry Academy on July 1, 2025!

https://eventreg.wisc.edu/en/5f4YRxR7/g/extension/upper-midwest-honeyberry-academy-5a2TQr17RAz/overview

An update on hazelnut breeding in the Upper Midwest from breeders Emily Delorean and Scott Brainard

An interview with three entrepreneurs in the hemp fiber and grain processing industries. Trey Riddle is the Chief Strategy Officer of IND Hemp in Fort Benton, Montana; James Forbes is Co-Founder of Tiger Fiber in St. Louis, Missouri; and Alex Mootz is the President of Complete Agronomy Solutions in Adams, Wisconsin.

IND Hemp: https://indhemp.com/

Tiger Fiber: https://tigerfiberhemp.com/

Complete Agronomy Solutions: https://www.completeagsolutions.com/

Recorded at the UW Arlington Agricultural Research Station during the 2023 Hemp Field Day, this episode features Assistant Professor Shelby Ellison and her students/staff as they share preliminary results from SARE and USDA SAC-NIFA grant projects. Each speaker shares their work in about 5 minutes and then takes a few questions. In the order you hear them, the speakers and their topics are:

Shelby Ellison - Grain/fiber trials

Cheyanne Mattie - Midwest hemp pest survey

Phillip Alberti - High cannabinoid hemp variety trial

Sean Kim - Anthocyanin production

Ademola Aina - Feral hemp collection

Grace Connolly - Companion cropping

Dan Heider (Research Program Coordinator) - IR4 program

Shelby Ellison lab: https://alternativecrops.horticulture.wisc.edu/

Emerging Crops hemp webpage: https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/hemp/

In this third and final episode on agrivoltaics, we dive into the agronomic research studying different types of cropping and grazing systems that may be compatible with solar arrays. We talk to Sarah Moser of Savion, a solar development company, and Eric Romich of Ohio State University about their collaboration "Between the Rows." Then we talk to Brad Heins, Associate Professor of Dairy Management at the University of Minnesota, to get the latest information on grazing cattle underneath solar panels.

In Part II of our series on agrivoltaics, we discuss the UW-Madison Kegonsa Research Campus solar project. This project is a collaboration between UW-Madison and Alliant Energy to develop a small-scale solar and agrivoltaics project for research and education purposes on the university-owned Kegonsa Research Campus in Stoughton, WI, just south of the main campus. Joining us are Josh Arnold, Campus Energy Advisor with the UW Office of Sustainability, and Amanda Thomas, Engineer and Project Manager at Alliant Energy.

Kicking off our series on agrivoltaics - the use of land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy generation - is an interview with James McCall, Energy and Environment Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). James gives an overview of the InSPIRE project, which explores the environmental compatibility and mutual benefits of solar development with agriculture and native landscapes. The InSPIRE project is funded by the US Department of Energy and managed by NREL. For more information on the program, check out https://openei.org/wiki/InSPIRE

A conversation with Anil and Smita, co-founders of the Very Mulberry brand and Habitera Farms, an 80-acre commercial mulberry farm in the Bay Area of California. Habitera Farms is the only large-scale commercial mulberry farm in the United States today. It opened for business this spring and operates primarily as a U-Pick farm.

For pictures of the farm and the Himalayan Purple Mulberry, visit: https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/programs/the-cutting-edge-podcast/

Very Mulberry: https://verymulberry.com/about/