Jan Slaski — Hemp Breeding on the Canadian Prairies

Jan Slaski — Hemp Breeding on the Canadian Prairies

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor June 26, 2026 Duration: 24:15

This is part four of a ten-part podcast series documenting the European Industrial Hemp Association's 23rd Annual Conference in Poznan, Poland, at the Institute of Fiber Plants and Medicinal Medicine, June 10-12.


Jan Slaski, hemp researcher and plant breeder at InnoTech Alberta, has spent nearly a quarter-century developing industrial hemp on the Canadian prairies. He came to Canada from Poland in 1993 and started hemp research in 2001, testing nearly 90 varieties from around the world to find what worked on the Canadian prairies. His team at InnoTech Alberta addresses the entire value chain — from seed to final product — across genetics, agronomy, processing and engineering.

But Slaski's real battle has been cultural, not agronomic. People conflate industrial hemp (low-THC fiber crops) with cannabis (high-THC intoxicating plants). Even at trade shows, visitors holding hemp seeds ask if they'll get high.

"This thing between hemp and cannabis, because you know, just like a word matters, how people perceive reality, you know they perceive through words, right?" he said.

For 25 years, Slaski has been destigmatizing industrial hemp — fighting regulatory confusion and consumer misunderstanding.

His current focus is artificial intelligence applied to hemp breeding. Using drone technology and computer vision, his team is developing tools to automatically identify male plants in seed production — work currently done by hand.

Beyond genetics, Slaski emphasizes that reliable feedstock matters most. In Canada, hemp breaks disease cycles that devastate canola. Farmers generate income while improving soil health. The conference message: industrial hemp has moved from abstract "world-saving" rhetoric to practical business.

Learn More

InnoTech Alberta

https://www.inotechalberta.ca

International Seed Standards Global Congress

https://www.worldseed.org

Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNIRZ)

https://iwnirz.pl

Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNIRZ)

iwnirz.pl

European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA)

eiha.org/

EIHA Conference

eiha-conference.org/


Thanks to Our Sponsors

Condor Seed

condorseed.com

HEMI — The Hemp Education and Marketing Initiative

thegoodnessofhemp.org

Bish Enterprises — FiberCut Hemp Harvesting

bishenterprise.com/fibercut

1937 International

1937international.com


There’s a quiet revolution happening in fields and factories, and it’s centered on a single, versatile plant. Industrial Hemp Podcast, guided by Eric Hurlock, the Digital Editor at Lancaster Farming, moves beyond the headlines to explore what’s actually happening on the ground. This isn’t just theoretical discussion; it’s a direct line to the people driving the industry forward. Each episode features conversations with the farmers who are planting and harvesting these crops, facing very real agronomic challenges and opportunities. You’ll also hear from researchers, processors, and policy experts who are shaping the future of hemp for fiber, grain, and other industrial applications. The dialogue digs into the practicalities-from planting techniques and harvesting equipment to market trends, regulatory hurdles, and technological innovations that are changing the game. It’s a clear-eyed look at an agricultural sector finding its footing, reported by journalists with deep roots in farming communities. For anyone curious about the business, science, and sheer hard work behind industrial hemp, this podcast serves as an essential, grounded resource. Tune in for honest talk that cuts through the hype and gets to the root of this growing field.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Industrial Hemp Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Hemp Grain for Fuel: Wendy Mosher of New West Genetics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:35
New West Genetics has been focused on crop improvement in the hemp industry since 2014. In July of 2021, the Lancaster Farming National Hemp Tour paid a visit to the New West headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado, where…
Melissa Nelson of South Bend Industrial Hemp on Five Years of Growth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
This week on the Hemp Show, we're revisiting some of the folks we met during our National Hemp Tour of 2021. Five years ago this summer the Industrial Hemp Podcast hit the road to map the industry as it was then. Hemp fa…
Hemp on the Hill and the Silver Screen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:47
This week's Hemp Podcast is divided into two parts. First, we take a look at the recent changes in U.S. hemp policy in a conversation with Rachel Umansky-Castro, the agriculture reporter for Bloomberg Government, who has…
Seed to Style: Inside the NIHC Summit with Patrick Atagi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:32
This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, we talk to Patrick Atagi, president and CEO of the National Industrial Hemp Council, the organization that's hosting the Seed to Style hemp fiber summit in conjunction with the F…
Counting the Blessings of HempWood with Greg Wilson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:16
This week on The Hemp Show, we check in with Greg Wilson from Hempwood in Murray, Kentucky where, five years ago, Lancaster Farming's National Hemp Tour made its first stop. A lot has happened with Hempwood since then, a…
The National Hemp Tour 5 Years On [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:39
This week on the hemp podcast we take a ride in the RV Time Machine. We're going back five years, back to the National Hemp Tour in the summer of 2021, when we took the podcast on the road — and took my family too. We tr…
The Fiber King In-Field Decorticator [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:34
On this week's show, we catch up with Lancaster County farmer, hemp innovator and cover-crop coach Steve Groff to hear about the progress on two machines that have been years in the making and, he thinks, are finally abo…
Hemp Week in the Hempire State [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:43
This week on the Hemp Show we're digging into a few of the calendar items we mentioned on last week's show, specifically the run of events in New York state next month. On September 15, Cornell's 10th Annual Grain and Fi…
News Nuggets and Upcoming Hemp Events [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:11
On this week's Hemp Show we are focusing on recent news stories and upcoming hemp events, including the Farm-to-Fabric Hemp Textile Symposium in New York City, September 18-20. See the full list of events below. Plus a h…
From Field to Foot: Making Hemp Socks in Poland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:24
This week's Hemp Show takes us once more back to Poland, where Maciej Kowalski gives us a tour of his vertically integrated hemp textile company in Elbląg, a small town in Northern Poland, not too far from the Baltic Sea…