The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hemp program is seeking 20 qualified partners across Florida for on-farm trials.
Zack Brym, agronomist at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead and research coordinator of the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project, says partner farms will conduct a coordinated field planting on 2 acres with variations in land preparation. In addition, partners will have the option to submit a plan for industry development research on an additional 3 acres.
Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2020. Growers can apply here.
“Applications will only be accepted through the online form up to the deadline,” notes Brym. “You must complete the application in one session. You can advance through the form without answering the questions (after answering question 1) to review the application questions before completing submission.”
He offers this advice for growers preparing to apply:
- You will need a Google account to upload images required for the application.
- Draft and/or log your answers in a separate file on your computer as a backup in case of technical difficulty.
- Select a contiguous 2- to 5-acre field. Obtain GPS coordinates for the center of the field and annotated satellite image (.JPG, .PDF).
- You may also permit an on-site propagation facility (e.g., greenhouse, shadehouse, high tunnel). Obtain separate GPS coordinates and annotated satellite image (.JPG, .PDF).
- Identify farm supervisor and contact information.
- Identify additional personnel by name and positions.
- Consider limited access control points, storage capacity and environmental containment procedures. You will have 500 characters to describe each of these points.
- Determine your farm soil and source of water.
- Consider the availability of irrigation and cultivation equipment.
- Reflect on your farming experience, research experience and industry engagement. You will have 1,000 characters to describe each of these points.
- Design an industry development plan for up to 3 acres. This is optional. You have 5,000 characters to detail the goals and methods of the plan.
“Only submission through this online application form will be considered by the review panel,” says Brym. “Past submission attempts via email using draft application or permit forms will not be considered. Applications for nurseries or indoor production facilities will not be accepted for this application period.”
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