This week our CEO, Lauchlan Grout, had the privilege of presenting at the TropAg International Agriculture Conference in Brisbane on a topic our team at Hemp Farms Australia has been focused on for over a decade:
“Advancing Environmental and Agricultural Resilience through Hemp Genetics: Outcomes from Targeted Breeding and Multisite Trials Across Australia.”
Our position is simple: industrial hemp isn’t a future bet, with the right genetics, it’s a current tool for resilience.
We’ve developed and trialled low-THC, non-GMO varieties across subtropical, temperate and semi-arid regions, with multisite trials targeting:
– Region-specific adaptation
– Establishment under real-world constraints
– Biomass, fibre and grain yields that work commercially
– Resilience under heat, water variability and marginal conditions
The results are clear: when you match the right genetics to the right environment, hemp can:
– Lift environmental and soil resilience
– Deliver strong returns per hectare
– Support scalable, low-carbon bioeconomy pathways
It was great to share these outcomes and then join a panel discussion on where climate-smart crops like hemp fit into the next decade of Australian agriculture. Thanks to the TropAg International Agriculture Conference organisers, fellow panellists Max Wingfield, Jin Wang, our chair Katie O’Connor and to the HFA team and trial partners nationwide who’ve helped build this evidence base.
