Seed to Style: Inside the NIHC Summit with Patrick Atagi

Seed to Style: Inside the NIHC Summit with Patrick Atagi

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor September 4, 2026 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 Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Sept. 16-18.

This event is a continuation of the conversations NIHC facilitated in Raleigh, N.C., last summer when they held their fiber summit at N.C. State's Wilson College of Textiles.

But this year, the stakes are a little higher and the energy burns a little brighter. Because that's what New York City does: It amplifies everything.

"It's building materials, it's clothing — the different parts and pieces of hemp all together, making it all work together. And the culmination is a fashion exhibit," Atagi said.

The fashion exhibit caps the summit on Thursday evening — hemp coming off the field and onto the mannequin, the "seed to style" idea made real.

Also, one big nugget of hemp news this week: Congress has hit the snooze button on the McConnell deadline that threatens to shut down the vast majority of the cannabinoid hemp industry. Intoxicating hemp products are still out, but the industry has an extra month to fight for its future. The clock is still ticking, but now the alarm is set for Dec. 11, 2026.

Learn more

NIHC Global Hemp Summit

nihcglobalsummit.com

Summit Sessions

nihcglobalsummit.com/sessions/

The Goodness of Hemp Act

thegoodnessofhemp.org

Cornell Hemp

hemp.cals.cornell.edu

Thanks to Sponsors

Jungmaven

jungmaven.com

IND HEMP

indhemp.com

Kings AgriSeeds

kingsagriseeds.com

Forever Green

hempcutter.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…
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…
Hempcrete Hero: Little House on the Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:52
We have an outbuilding at home — we call it the Little House. It's a small old barn that sits out in our back yard, maybe 25 feet from the back door. It was a barn for animals at one point, then a garage, then an apartme…