OSU Hosts First Multi-Technology Hemp Construction Training

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Jun 8

Written By Jean Lotus

*Participants in OSU’s Global Hemp Innovation Center’s Train the Trainer workshop install hempcrete in Corvallis OR. Photo courtesy of Gina Engel*

By Jean Lotus

Oregon State University's Global Hemp Innovation Center brought together nine hemp construction companies and ten invited trainees in Corvallis this June for a five-day Train-the-Trainer Workshop focused on hemp-based building systems. Eight of the ten trainees are Native American or Native Hawaiian builders and tradespeople, and a production company affiliated with Paramount Plus was on hand to film.

The Hemp Construction Train-the-Trainer Workshop ran June 1–5 at the College of Agricultural Sciences' Precision Agricultural Systems Center. Organized by OSU hemp materials researcher John Simonsen, the program was designed to give trainees hands-on experience with multiple hemp building technologies simultaneously, bringing North American hemp construction all-stars under one roof.

"This is likely the first time in the United States that this many hemp construction technologies have been demonstrated together in one location," Simonsen said in a statement. "The workshop represents more than a training event — it is a demonstration of how natural materials, innovation, and collaboration can shape the future of the built environment."

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Americhanvre

South Bend Industrial Hemp

Hillside Center for Sustainable Living

Sativa Building Systems

Silacote Mineral Paints

Earthaus Plaster

HempWood

Evolve Construction

Dion LeFebvre and Cameron McIntosh

Filmmakers Clayton Lindley and Bear Prandelli

Matt Marino

John Simonsen, Jacob Waddell, Wade Atteberry

Gina Engel talks with Jeff Steiner & John Simonsen

Sergiy Kovalenkov

Instructors and Contributing Companies

Participating companies spanned hempcrete installation, insulation, prefabrication, flooring, and sustainable design. Matt Marino of Homeland Hemp Company, Sergiy Kovalenkov of Hempire, Cameron McIntosh of Americhanvre, Aaron Grail of Aaron Grail Construction, Mattie Mead of Hempitecture, Dion Lefebvre of 8th Fire Innovations, Gina Engel of Earth Merchant, Wade Atteberry of Tiny Hemp Homes, and Greg Wilson of Hempwood each contributed materials, expertise, or both. Instructors also included a contractor and instructor from Cal Poly Humboldt and a faculty member from the University of Oregon's architecture and design program. (The photos above come from social media posts from participants).

GHIC director Jeff Steiner described the training model in an interview with HempBuild Magazine: "The trainees are getting hands-on experience with folks that are commercial operators to pass on their knowledge. And then those trainees will be able to go into various forums on their own."

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Homeland Hempcrete

Verdant Structural Engineers

Right Coast Hemp

Kanda Hemp Seeds

Tribal and Indigenous Participation

The workshop's tribal focus is tied directly to its funding source. The program is supported through a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Strengthening Agricultural Systems grant, which is designed to develop technical and business opportunities for tribes working with industrial hemp. OSU has been convening a nine-to-ten-member intertribal business consortium on a monthly basis for roughly two years as part of that effort.

Trainees came from the Yurok tribe, the Warm Springs Reservation (where two participants work in Warm Springs' commercial building trades division and two are independent tribal members), Stonechild College in Box Elder, MT, and Hawaii, where two native Hawaiian participants recently took part in a hempcrete build organized by Danny Desjarlais of the Lower Sioux tribe and Kovalenkov. The training is provided at no cost to participants, covered by grant funds.

"Originally we were hoping to have four or five Native folks involved," Steiner said . "We had no trouble filling out the bill to get 10 people."

Healthy Hemp Homes

Riverdale Hemp Gin

Victura Hemp

Prairie Band Ag

*Jeff Steiner (L) applauds as attendees Lucinda Torres, Farrell Bryan, Tom Strong and Phillip Guerin receive their certifications. Photo courtesy of Jeff Steiner*

Aaron Grail Construction

IND HEMP

HempBLOCK USA

Next Genesis Design

A Shed Helps Develop Curriculum

Trainees constructed a demonstration shed using hemp-based insulation systems, wall assemblies, and flooring applications. When complete, the structure will be permanently installed at OSU College of Forestry's Peavy Arboretum, where it will serve as a public demonstration site. The shed will also be instrumented to collect data on heat load and humidity movement over time.

The workshop content is being developed into online curriculum as well. OSU ran a ten-day beta hemp school last summer in partnership with Stonechild College, aimed at undergraduate and community college students and designed to connect STEM instruction with tribal values. That work, along with the Train-the-Trainer program, is expected to be published as scholarly research.

Boardwurks Biocomposites

Renewabuild

Hempitecture

East Coast Hemp Supply

A Documentary in the Works

A production company affiliated with Paramount Plus has been filming the workshop as part of a national documentary on hemp. The project has not been formally announced, but Steiner confirmed that OSU was approached after one of the participating instructors mentioned the program to producers.

OSU is planning follow-on builds at tribal reservations and anticipates continued curriculum work with Cal Poly Humboldt and the University of Oregon. Steiner said the program's longer-term goal is to see hemp building instruction incorporated into educational programs at institutions across the country.