OSU’s Hemp research spans the globe with partners in Asia and Europe. 

45th Parallel Strategy

Oregon State research faculty have strategically launched research around the globe for the past several years in areas that are at the same latitude as Oregon with similar growing conditions. The 45th parallel is optimal for hemp growth and a unique hemp germplasm - the genetic material used for breeding - was developed in the state over the past several decades. Because hemp research was limited in the US until the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill as it was still effectively under prohibition, it has only been recently that US-based hemp researchers could plant and cultivate hemp at home. However, those international partnerships have vetted significant discovery and collaboration that remain a significant strategic advantage at the Global Hemp Innovation Center.

Those global partnerships have most recently led to a variety of international opportunities as OSU's reputation for hemp research is already well-established. For example: 

  • We are jointly sponsoring an international hemp conference in China with the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS) in July 2019.
  • OSU will be hosting the first international hemp symposium as part of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR)’s 75th Anniversary celebration. 
  • Oregon State hemp researchers regularly speak at U.S. and global conferences.