The upcoming Southern Illinois Hemp and Cannabis Symposium will focus on hemp as a crop. (Photo by Yenitza Melgoza)
August 20, 2025
2025 hemp, cannabis symposium at SIU to focus on agronomy
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A daylong symposium at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for hemp and cannabis researchers, entrepreneurs and industry experts will focus on hemp as a crop and its uses, some of which may be surprising.
Nine speakers will cover agronomy, new legislation, biomedical and other uses, and more at the sixth annual Southern Illinois Hemp and Cannabis Symposium, which will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 at Gower Translational Research Center, 1785 University Press Drive.
The symposium has grown from a primarily regional event to one that attracts speakers and participants throughout the nation, said Gary Kinsel, interim director of SIU’s Cannabis Science Center.
“I hope people will walk away with a sense of the potential hemp has as a product and as an economic vehicle in Southern Illinois and beyond,” he said.
Space is limited. The cost, which includes lunch and a mixer from 6-8 p.m., is $80 ($10 for students) until Aug. 24. The price then goes up to $120 ($20 for students). Participants can learn more and sign up on the symposium's webpage. The next day, participants can enjoy the Hemp, Hops and Shrooms festival in downtown Carbondale, along with an Off the Rails concert that evening.
“It is fascinating, all the different things you can do with hemp,” Kinsel said. “Many of the different things we do with trees we can do with hemp because of the cellulose in the stem. We can make paper, clothing, ropes and animal bedding from the fiber and hurd, or chips, in the stalk. The fibers can also be used to strengthen construction materials, like concrete, and make the product lighter and more fire resistant.”
The part people burn for medicinal and recreational purposes is the flower. In addition, the seeds, which are high in protein and nutritious oils, may be used for animal feed, which thus far the Food and Drug Administration has approved for chickens.
Kinsel noted hemp is usable in a shorter period of time than a tree. Some varieties can go from seedling to 12 feet tall in two months. It can also be included as part of a crop rotation.
The Gower Center, home to the recently opened BioLaunch, a 10,000-square-foot complex of analytical and biotechnology core laboratories, and business innovation support systems, is the perfect venue for the symposium, Kinsel said. Although the center does not handle the adult use cannabis sold in dispensaries, it tests hemp and consumer products for variety of compounds, including cannabinoids, terpenes and trace metals.
“It’s fun to show people what we have in this emerging facility – what we are capable of and what we hope to have here in the future,” Kinsel said.