On October 8, IND HEMP will bring farmers, processors, architects, engineers, builders, manufacturers, and industry leaders together in Belgrade, Montana, for a one-day look at where industrial hemp is already moving from possibility to application.
For years, the hemp industry has talked about the potential of fiber.
Now, that conversation is increasingly about what we can actually build with it.
On October 8, 2026, IND HEMP will host Hemp in the Built Environment: A Symposium of Use and Applications at its Belgrade, Montana office. The free, one-day event will explore how American-grown hemp is moving through the supply chain and into buildings, infrastructure, erosion control, land restoration, and other commercial applications.
For the National Hemp Association, this is exactly the kind of conversation the industry needs.
Building Markets Starts With Connecting the Supply Chain
Industrial hemp does not become a commodity simply because we can grow it.
It becomes a commodity when farmers have dependable markets, processors have consistent demand, manufacturers have reliable feedstocks, and architects, engineers, contractors, brands, and public agencies understand how and where hemp-based materials can be used.
That entire chain will be represented in Montana.
The symposium begins with hemp agriculture and processing and then moves through lifecycle and carbon accounting, regenerative construction, commercially available building products, design considerations, erosion and sediment control, and real-world installation.
Attendees will also be able to see materials in use through outdoor demonstrations and a guided tour of installed systems and products.
This matters.
The next chapter of the hemp industry will not be built around potential alone. It will be built around specifications, performance, manufacturing capacity, repeat customers, regional supply chains, and products that solve real problems.
From Seed to Skyline
One of the strongest aspects of the symposium is its focus on the entire value chain.
IND HEMP CEO and Co-Founder Morgan Tweet will open the technical program with a look at Montana agriculture and processing, followed by discussions around carbon accounting and lifecycle impacts.
Architects and building professionals will then take the conversation downstream into construction, including the “Seed to Skyline: Growing Regenerative Construction” session presented by Kirby Hancock of High Plains Architecture. The program also includes a panel examining commercially available hemp products and the practical considerations involved in bringing natural building materials into construction projects.
The afternoon expands the conversation beyond buildings themselves.
Experts will examine hemp applications in erosion control, sediment management, restoration, and civil infrastructure, followed by outdoor demonstrations that give attendees an opportunity to see products and systems outside of a conference room.
That broader perspective is important. Hemp fiber and hurd are not limited to one product category. Their value may extend across construction materials, insulation, composites, landscape products, geotextiles, erosion control systems, restoration applications, and other emerging markets.
For American farmers, that diversification of end markets is critical.
An Event Designed for the People Who Specify and Use Materials
The symposium is not intended only for people already working in hemp.
It is designed to bring hemp into conversations with the professionals who determine what materials are actually specified, purchased, installed, and scaled.
Architects, engineers, developers, contractors, public agencies, manufacturers, agricultural producers, processors, and sustainability professionals will all find something relevant in the program.
AIA Continuing Education credits are also available, giving architecture professionals an opportunity to receive continuing education while learning about hemp-based materials and regenerative construction.
The event is part of a Montana Department of Commerce-supported agritourism initiative focused on industrial hemp’s potential to support rural economic development, value-added manufacturing, and resilient infrastructure.
And Yes, There Will Be Hemp on the Menu
This is Montana, and this is hemp, so the experience will not stop with building materials.
Lunch will feature a healthy hemp meal prepared by Chef Eduardo Garcia, followed later in the day by a reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres and an opportunity for attendees, presenters, vendors, and industry leaders to continue the conversation.
This Is How an Industry Gets Built
The National Hemp Association has long advocated for a future in which industrial hemp is treated as what it is: an agricultural commodity capable of supplying American manufacturing, supporting farmers, creating regional economic opportunity, and contributing to a new generation of biobased products.
Getting there requires more than growing acres.
It requires infrastructure, processing, standards, testing, education, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and market development.
And, perhaps most importantly, it requires putting the people who grow and process hemp in the same room with the people who can use it.
That is what makes events like Hemp in the Built Environment important.
The industry does not need to imagine every application from a distance. In Montana, attendees will have an opportunity to see many of them up close.
Hemp in the Built Environment: A Symposium of Use and Applications
Thursday, October 8, 2026
IND HEMP Belgrade Office
22 Astor Ave., Belgrade, Montana
Attendance is free, but space is limited.
Participating Organizations
Come see what happens when American agriculture, manufacturing, design, and the built environment meet in the same place.
About the National Hemp Association
The National Hemp Association is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit trade association advancing industrial hemp through policy, education, research, and market development. NHA works with stakeholders across agriculture, manufacturing, research, government, and commerce to strengthen U.S. hemp supply chains while supporting responsible international market development, trade relationships, and collaboration across the global hemp industry. Its work focuses on connecting people, markets, information, and infrastructure to help industrial hemp move from emerging opportunity to durable commercial adoption.
