The Hemp Road Trip, a grassroots effort to raise awareness about and lobby on behalf of the benefits of industrial hemp, will be stopping at James Madison University from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, February 25.
The Hemp Road Trip bus, which is making a national tour, will park in the circle near the second floor entrance to the Festival Conference and Student Center on the JMU campus east of Interstate 81.
JMU is one of three universities in Virginia doing research on the benefits of industrial hemp. The research was made possible by passage of Virginia HB 1277 Industrial Hemp; Production and Manufacturing. The bill created the Virginia Industrial Hemp Research Program, managed by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. JMU responded to a VDACS request for proposals last summer along with Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.
Under the direction of Dr. Mike Renfroe, professor biology, and Dr. Sam Morton, associate professor of engineering, JMU will research how effectively industrial hemp will grow in Virginia’s ridge and valley province and will test whether industrial hemp seed can be planted and harvested with conventional agricultural equipment. JMU will also investigate the use of industrial hemp seed oil in the production of biodiesel.
More information about the Hemp Road Trip is available on its website: hemproadtrip.com/
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