Organic hemp research gains sponsors CV Sciences, Patagonia, and Dr. Bronner’s

Photo © iStockphoto.com/AlenaPaulus

CV Sciences (San Diego, CA), manufacturer of PlusCBD Oil, has announced that the company will be sponsoring the Rodale Institute’s (Kutztown, PA) research on organic hemp farming, alongside brands Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s. The Rodale Institute is a nonprofit group that researches best practices for organic agriculture.

“We couldn’t be more excited about expanding our already robust support of hemp farming research throughout the country to look at organic production of hemp with such a great institute like Rodale,” said Josh Hendrix, director of business development for PlusCBD Oil, in a press release. “Like other partners in this research, we feel that hemp can play a very large role in organic farming and look forward to working with Rodale to further organic hemp production.”

The Rodale Institute received a permit for its research project in 2017 as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Project. The institute’s research will take four years and will focus on utilizing industrial hemp as a cash crop (in its Variety Trial), as well as using it as a cover crop to address weed pest issues and enhance soil health in organic agriculture (in its Weed Suppression Trial). Another goal is to help farmers benefit from hemp’s economic and environmental opportunities, the groups say.

The Variety Trial will test several varieties of hemp bred to produce a higher yield and quality of hemp fiber and seeds in order to determine which will grow best in the mid-Atlantic climate and produce the most fiber. The Weed Suppression Trial will use hemp as a rotational crop in an organic system to determine if its use can decrease weed seed germination and growth, specifically of yellow foxtail and red root pigweed.

“We appreciate the support of PlusCBD Oil as we explore hemp’s role in soil health,” said Jeff Moyer, executive director of the Rodale Institute, in a press release. “We know that healthy soil equals healthy food equals healthy people and a healthy planet. Having a partner like PlusCBD Oil allows us to have a much larger impact.”