Introducing Clayton Moore of the Texas Hemp Conversion Program at Texas A&M University

What are you currently working on?

I am currently breeding hemp for fiber, grain and cannabinoids in my Hemp Conversion Program, mainly to be southern adapted meaning heat and drought tolerant. I am also selecting for complaint plants under the 0.3% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) limit.

How long are you in your schooling there and I understand that you won a scholarship from PurIso Labs last November when we met at the Texas Hemp Summit.

Welcome to the Texas Hemp Reporter Clayton, tell us about your yourself and the work that you’ve been doing at this Texas A&M Industrial Hemp Breeding program. Howdy, my name is Clayton Moore. I’ve been working with A&M Agrilife as an undergraduate researcher for a year and 9 months now. I do research in the Industrial Hemp breeding program with Dr. Russell Jessup. The project I am currently running is the Hemp Conversion Program, I reach out to breeders and growers all around the world within 30 degree north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude. I ask for a donation of a miniscule amount of pollen to cross with our southern adapted and THC compliant hemp varieties. and the program was recently awarded a USDAARS grant to expand into a ‘Compliant Hemp Accelerated Improvement Network (C.H.A.I.N.). We will have over 20 different populations of hemp growing in all southern coastal states. I also received the Undergraduate Research Support Award that was given by the university that has not been awarded to a student in the past 7 years. Graduate student research assistant is another role I have.

I graduate in the Spring of 2024 with a B.S. Plant and Environmental Soil Science degree and a minor in Plant Breeding. I also run a fully recognized student organization called the Cannabis Hemp Innovation League (C.H.I.L.) at Texas A&M University. We are academic and research based giving our members opportunities such as undergraduate research, internships, scholarships and real time with cannabis industry leaders. Our first meeting last Fall had over 100 students attend in person with over 51 different majors. We gave $1,500 in scholarships our first semester and plan to give away $3,000 this Spring. PurIso Labs gave us $1,000 to give away for an essay competition. Rare Earth Genomics also gave us $1,000 for organization funding. We had our graduate and undergraduates present their research and had industry professionals such as Texas Original and a cultivator from Oklahoma named Jace Rivera teaching Korean Natural Farming & JADAM practices for commercial production.

How about how many students are enrolled in this program with Dr. Russell Jessup?

In the Industrial Hemp Breeding Program we have 5 graduate students and 5 undergraduate students.

Your also head of the CHIL student organization.. Cannabis Hemp Inovation League. What is your goal with this new group?

I have a vision for the Cannabis Hemp Innovation League to become a national organization to have chapters at different Universities that are capable of having cannabis research within their college.

As a 8th generation Texan where do you see this plant going as an Industrial crop?

As an eighth generation Texan, I see hemp being a great commodity for the Texas & US market, whether it is producing fibers for construction materials, producing grains for animal feed, human consumption, bio-fuels or even cannabinoids as an alternative medication to prescription drugs like opioids. The industrial hemp market for 2021 was approximated at 4.5 billion dollars and is estimated to be at 17.2 billion by 2030. This crop will provide more jobs and opportunities to individuals who want to make our planet healthier and more sustainable.

What have you learned the most in the last few years as a student in this growing space here in Texas?

I’ve learned that you won’t get everything from class but the University has definitely given me the tools I need to be successful in this industry. The University has taught me the basic sciences behind agriculture