Crop protectants for hemp are badly needed to address a wide range of pests and disease.  Part of the process in gaining EPA approval for pesticides or fungicides for hemp, is support from the manufacturer.  Major players in the global agrichemical industry, including Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, BASF, and Corteva have little impetus to expend the resources needed to gain approval for a new crop like hemp.  These four global corporations accounted for

Fortunately, there is a means for product approval for smaller crops, funded by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), under the USDA’s umbrella.  NIFA is a body that we have discussed here occasionally because of the direct funding opportunities for hemp producers.  In this case, NIFA funds the Interregional Research Project # 4 (IR-4),…