Prior to his time as the Ellison Lab Program Manager here at UW-Madison, Phillip Alberti spent time at the University of Illinois Extension working with community colleges and helping to develop agricultural research projects. These sorts of partnerships are key to the land grant mission.
As a result, the Ellison Lab hosted Highland Community College agriculture instructor Monica Pierce and a handful of her students at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station to talk about hemp industrial (grain/fiber) and high cannabinoid (CBD, CBG, etc.). The purpose of this visit was to provide Highland’s “Cannabis Studies” class with a personalized field day to touch and smell the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s hemp research plots and ask questions about the work we do.
The time in the field was spent discussing the research trials, our program goals, and various production strategies used in hemp production. The day even ended with students helping to sample plants for cannabinoid determination and helping to fulfill our duties for the Cultivar Check Program, funded by SARE Partnership Grant!
Thankful for these opportunities and looking forward to the next one!