Dakota College at Bottineau was awarded $37,553 from the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission. This grant's purpose is to "provide necessary assistance to the research and marketing needs of the state by developing new uses for agricultural products, byproducts, and by seeking more efficient systems for processing and marketing agricultural products and byproducts..." This grant ran from June 2020 until November 2021. During this time, hemp trials were conducted in two different environments; Bottineau, ND and Absaraka, ND that include high tunnels and open fields. There are more than 25,000 uses for hemp and will have an increase in demand for producers to keep up with consumer demand. The research will be used to provide growers with information about production in different growing conditions and compare viability of clones as a propagation method. 

Twelve CBD cultivars were used in the trials including Grizzlies, Cherry Wine 2, UPMxASP02, ASB, UMP, Meritage, Abacus, Space Force, Mauna Kea 3, Harley, and Cherry Wine. These cultivars were propagated through clones and some were propagated by seed to compare viability between the two techniques. Characteristics related to growth and production were monitored and measured during the growing cycle. Plant nutrient management included soils testing, application of nutrients, cannabinoid testing to record CBD:THC ratio and all seedlings and clones were inspected for uniformity and overall health. Some complications did occur during the trials, however. The Bottineau location experienced a damaging frost on September 9, 2020 which stopped CBD production in all cultivars, which were in the early stages of flowering. The trial was run again in 2021 and the potency testing was performed by Adams Independent Testing which is based out of Fargo, ND. Some cultivars were also unavailable in 2021 as there is a lot of turnover with seed suppliers in the hemp industry. One provider had gone out of business and the second provider no longer had the same cultivars.

​The research found out that the flowering dates were significantly different in the two locations. In Absaraka, ND the flowering date occurred on August 4th while the flowering date for Bottineau, ND was September 6th. Several cultivars proved to have higher CBD percentages and the THC levels were approximately 0.3 %. The top three cultivars were Space Force, Cherry Wine 2 and Meritage which all had a CBD concentration above 9%. It was also found that biomass is a key factor as it has the highest cannabinoid concentration. Other conclusions from the hemp trials showed that cultivars performed differently between the two geographical locations. Cultivars propagated from seed grew taller and there was more variability. The highest CBD levels were found 5-6 weeks after flowering was initiated. According to Keith Knudson, who was the project director of this grant stated, “the industrial hemp industry shows instability of seed providers as more providers are leaving as profitability declines. A few seed producers are investing in genetics to reduce variabilities in production of plant material and
potency.”

DCB will run trials again in 2022 to continue identifying stable cultivars. "High performance" cultivars have been cloned and selected from these trials to be used again in the trials next year. 

​Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

 Dakota College at Bottineau has a beautiful campus and there are many individuals who assist with the landscaping. On March 24th, a group of volunteers from the Bottineau area came into the Greenhouse to assist in transferring plugs from their trays to single cells. Plugs are known as young plants that are grown in large quantities that started from a small seed or cutting. These plugs were ordered from Mast Young Plants who are located in Michigan. Some of these plants include Canna Cannova Yellow, Ipomoea marguerite, Ipomoea Blackie, Ipomoea Sidekick Heart Bronze, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Italian Oregano, Spike Dracaena Indivisa, Bosa Nova Night Fever Papaya, Juncus Effusus Spiralis and Vinca High Color. These flowers are planted around the Dakota College campus and throughout Bottineau in the big city planters. Not only did these volunteers transfer the plants to the single cells but they also assisted in potting soil and labeling the plants. 

The volunteers are Joan Mortenson (not pictured), Tim Davis, Lynn Nero, Bobbi Aus, Donna Porter and Cathleen Grosz (not pictured). This group of individuals have been friends for a long time and have been volunteering at the Greenhouse for about 10 years according to Tim. They started volunteering when Diane Beckman was in charge of the Greenhouse. They helped establish the pollinator garden that is located on the Dakota College campus! Every year there are different projects that these individuals work on such as seeding, transplanting, or assisting in planting flowers throughout Bottineau. Volunteering every year at the Greenhouse has become a tradition between this local group of friends. "We like to do things that get us out of the house and we all enjoy the gardening aspect" says Tim. 

One of the best memories that stands out to Tim is when the group was able to use one of the high tunnels on campus. They were able to do their own planting while also assisting the college in whatever projects they had going on at the time. "We always have a lot of fun. We realize that we are providing a service to the college and always find ways to incorporate games or challenges" says Tim. Not only do they volunteer at the Greenhouse but they also volunteer at the Museum, Family Crisis Center, Bottineau Food Pantry and they also assist in making Braille Books! After volunteering at the Greenhouse, the group will head over to Pride Dairy or Marie's to enjoy coffee, a meal and each other's company. 

​Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant