Meet Ursa Alta, The New Low-THC Fiber Cultivar from Cornell AgriTech

Meet Ursa Alta, The New Low-THC Fiber Cultivar from Cornell AgriTech

From Industrial Hemp Podcast by Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor

June 10, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

Larry Smart discusses the new low-THC fiber cultivar Ursa Alta developed by Cornell AgriTech.

This week on the Hemp Show, Larry Smart returns to talk about Ursa Alta, the new low-THC hemp variety that Cornell AgriTech has released for commercial production. The variety has been seven years in the making. "We had come up with a new cultivar that was distinct, uniform and stable. That's our definition of a cultivar," Smart said. Ursa Alta, which means tall bear and is named for the Cornell mascot, is a fiber variety with low THC and a high hurd ratio. While bred for conditions in New York state, Smart said the variety excels in southern latitudes as well. "This variety does grow very well in Texas," Smart said. "My collaborator, Calvin Trostel, is based in Lubbock, at about the same latitude as where they're growing for Panda Biotech. So we think it will grow quite well in that area and yield quite well for them." Panda Biotech, owner of the second largest hemp processing facility in the world, is based in Wichita Falls, TX. Cornell has licensed seed multiplication to Condor Seed Production in Yuma, Arizona. Condor has a deep history of vegetable seed production — onions, artichokes, brassicas — and brings more than 40 years of experience to the work. Smart provided Condor…

People in this episode

Host: Eric Hurlock

Guest: Larry Smart

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cornell AgriTech, Panda Biotech, Condor Seed Production

Places: Texas, Yuma, Arizona, Wichita Falls, TX, New York state

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