Hemp research project underway
IMPERIAL — Fields of hemp are beginning to sprout locally as part of the Imperial Valley Hemp Research Project established between Imperial Valley College and several agricultural companies.
The research project will examine how various irrigation, planting and fertilization methods might influence hemp cultivation, and collect data related to plant development and maturity, diseases and pests, as well as cannabinoid potency.
To date, the IVC Board of Trustees has approved seven one-year research agreements, which can be renewed at the end of each term. Each agreement also will provide at least one paid internship opportunity for eligible IVC students.
“Participating students have an opportunity to be exposed to an industry that they may decide to continue to pursue for a career,” said IVC President/Superintendent Martha Garcia.
The internships are likely to attract diverse members of the student body and not just the campus’ agriculture program students.
During an on-campus forum held in early March about the research project’s potential economic and academic benefits, numerous students with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics were in attendance, Garcia said.
“I didn’t imagine I would see an interest from those students,” she said.
The ambitious research project aims to take advantage of the Valley’s year-round growing conditions and recent federal legislation that classified hemp as an agricultural product and no longer as a controlled substance.
Currently, the only way to secure water to cultivate hemp in California is by partnering with an institution of higher learning for educational and research purposes, Garcia said.
The college’s partnership agreements with the hemp growers are likely the first, to Garcia’s knowledge, that have been undertaken by one of the state’s community colleges.
An additional partnership agreement is expected to come before the IVC board later this month for possible approval.
The agreements grant IVC the ability to access and engage in periodic inspections of the growing locations and cultivation facilities utilized; conduct sampling and testing of plants, seeds, soils and by-products; inspect the research data logs of the research partners; and request information regarding the research partner’s operations in furtherance of the research plan.
While much of the campus’ responsibilities fall on its Agricultural Program director, the college has also enlisted the assistance of a consultant with expertise in the field, Garcia said.
The project’s findings will be made available to industry insiders and the wider public as well.
“It would be of special interest to those who are interested in cultivating in the future,” Garcia said.
A review of the approved partnership agreements reveals that more than 3,000 acres are slated to grow hemp in areas such as Brawley, Calipatria, Holtville and unincorporated county lands.
The first to establish an agreement, Brawley-based Primordia Inc. advertises on its website that it has up to 30,000 acres available for hemp cultivation.
Primordia currently has two IVC students serving as paid interns and additionally hired two IVC students to help with its operations, Garcia said.
In 2015, nationwide hemp-based sales were estimated to be about $513 million, according to the California Hemp Association.
Hemp-based products included food, CBD, consumer textiles, industrial applications and personal care products, which accounted for 26 percent of sales.
As more IVC students learn of hemp’s versatility, Garcia said she expects more to show an interest in the research project.
“It reflects another opportunity for a career in an emerging industry that