This project developed and delivered 12 educational resources to over 299 beginning farmers and stakeholders to provide
them with tools to decide if and how to enter the hemp market.
At least 78 farmers increased their knowledge on the risks/benefits of hemp. Thirty farmers implemented a
strategy for minimizing at least one of five USDA risk management areas and an estimated 20 used this information to decide to enter or not enter the hemp market. Since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, beginning farmers attracted by the
potential opportunities rushed towards this emerging market.
Evaluating a new crop and its potential products has its own inherent set of risks, but this
evaluation is compounded for new farmers trying to navigate a rapidly changing,
volatile marketplace within new federal and state regulatory framework. While hemp appeared to
offer opportunities to new farmers, it posed many significant risks in all categories of risk
management.
Because of Covid-19, all of this project's risk education was delivered online. Nonetheless, with NERME support and working with partners and collaborators, this UVM Extension hemp project accomplished a full educational series of webinars,
factsheets, youtube videos, blogs, and FAQs for farmers and hemp stakeholders.