I am a Northern Michigan native that grew up on a specialty crops farm where I spent many days outdoors playing in the field and helping my family plant and harvest crops. I pursued a bachelor’s in Entomology at Michigan State University and received my degree in 2015. While I was at MSU, I spent three summers working as a field technician at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center conducting research on chemical and non-chemical techniques to reduce insect pests in sweet and tart cherries, apples, and wine grapes. I then spent a year working as a commercial beekeeper before moving to West Lafayette to pursue a master’s degree in Entomology with Dr. John Couture. My research project focused on the influence of agronomic management practices on hemp-insect interactions. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with hemp over the last two years and I am excited that I was given the opportunity to continue my work on this crop.
My goal as the new hemp Extension specialist for Purdue is to design a hemp program that provides the informational groundwork for prospective commercial hemp producers through public meetings, online webinars, field days, workshops, and guides. This summer there were several hemp field days hosted at Purdue Agricultural Centers and on private hemp farms. These events attracted hundreds of current and prospective growers, which demonstrated a need for active involvement from Purdue and Purdue Extension. Now that the outdoor growing season has wrapped up for hemp farmers, there are some upcoming events to look forward to. There are several large events coming up in the Indianapolis area this fall and winter. Hemp at the Crossroads will take place November 16-17 at Marriott East hotel in Indianapolis and is organized by the Midwest Hemp Council. This two-day conference will feature talks on regulatory issues, business and marketing, and hemp production, and will include an expo hall. To learn more and register for this event, please visit https://www.hempatthecrossroads.com/. Farm Journal will be putting on a Hemp College in Indianapolis on December 16. Previous Farm Journal events have attracted hundreds of attendees and have a lineup of great speakers. To learn more and register for this event, please visit . The next big event hosted by Purdue will be the Indiana Horticulture Conference and Expo. This three-day conference will feature a hemp track with talks focused on regulatory and license information, pest management, and production guidelines. This event will take place February 11-13 at the Marriott East hotel in Indianapolis. To learn more, please visit https://www.indianahortconference.org/. There will be county and regional Extension meetings around the state throughout the winter and spring months. Look for these on the Purdue Extension website and the Purdue Hemp website and Facebook page. I am looking forward to working with hemp farmers across Indiana and can be reached through hemp@purdue.edu or at (765) 496-1567.