THE PROMISE OF HEMP, WITH THOUSANDS OF POSSIBLE USES, POTENTIAL SUITABILITY TO NUMEROUS ENVIRONMENTS, AND EMERGING, FAST-GROWING NEW PRODUCT MARKETS, COULD BE A WELCOME ALTERNATIVE CROP FOR MANY PRODUCERS. HOWEVER, DESPITE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE U.S. HEMP INDUSTRY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THERE REMAIN SUBSTANTIAL GAPS IN THE KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO FULLY SUPPORT THIS FLEDGLING INDUSTRY. A RECENT SURVEY OF OVER 1,100 HEMP STAKEHOLDERS FOUND THAT OVER 75% THINK ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IN BREEDING AND GENETICS TO PRODUCE STABLE AND UNIFORM CULTIVARS AND REGIONAL ADAPTABILITY IS VERY OR EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO SEED CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSIDERATIONS SUCH AS GERMINATION RATE, DORMANCY, SHELF LIFE, STATE CERTIFICATION, COST, AND QUALITY. GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF CULTIVARS WILL HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT ON YIELD AND PRODUCTION COST AND THEREFORE THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR STAKEHOLDERS. IN ORDER FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BREEDERS AND SCIENTISTS TO DEVELOP REGIONALLY ADAPTED HEMP CULTIVARS IT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO A BROAD RANGE OF GERMPLASM. INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF HEMP GERMPLASM SHOWS A HIGH LEVEL OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN NATURALIZED HEMP POPULATIONS COMPARED TO CULTIVATED CANNABIS, LIKELY DUE TO SELECTION PRESSURES AND GENETIC DRIFT IN DIFFERENT REGIONAL POPULATIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH TASK IS TO BUILD AND CHARACTERIZE A GENETICALLY DIVERSE COMPLIANT COLLECTION OF FERAL HEMP POPULATIONS THAT ARE ADAPTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN THE REGIONS WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN GROWING SINCE ESCAPING FROM AGRONOMIC CULTIVATION. THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT AND USE OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AND REGIONAL COLLABORATORS WE WILL BE ABLE TO COVER MORE GROUND THAN ANY SMALL GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS. THIS COLLECTION WILL SERVE AS A PUBLIC RESOURCE FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF GENES AND MINING OF ALLELES FOR BENEFICIAL TRAITS IN BREEDING NEW CULTIVARS.