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Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council

1 week ago

"A Pennsylvania company that makes hemp bioplastics is set to take over a former textile mill thanks in part to some investment from the state.

Sivana Converting purchased part of the mill in Sunbury, in central Pennsylvania. Sivana plans to make hemp-based biodegradable plastic food containers, cups, plates, and straws for the commercial market.

“We are really excited to be starting this new venture in the central Susquehanna region,” Sivana CEO Soheil Shahrooz told The Daily Item newspaper in Sunbury.

The company plans to hire 125 people within three years.

Sivana last year received $100,000 in a startup grant from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, a state-funded economic development program.

“We’re taking our expertise and applying it to this new technology to create a greener, more sustainable future,” Shahrooz said."

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Hemp bioplastics startup expanding to former Pennsylvania textile mill

hempindustrydaily.com

A Pennsylvania company that makes hemp bioplastics is set to take over a former textile mill thanks in part to some investment from the state.

Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council

4 weeks ago

"Three hemp-related projects made the final cut in Pennsylvania’s latest round of Specialty Crop Block Grants.

The grants are provided to high priority specialty crops that are not eligible under the USA’s federal specialty crop grant program.

“Increasing market access and competitiveness means investing in crops with high growth potential that otherwise may be overlooked,” said PA Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

Hemp certainly qualifies as one of those crops – and it’s good to see the state’s government continuing to recognise that."

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Hemp Research Gets A Helping Hand In Pennsylvania - Hemp Gazette

hempgazette.com

Three hemp-related projects made the final cut in Pennsylvania's latest round of Specialty Crop Block Grants.

Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council

4 weeks ago

"For Eric Hurlock and many Pennsylvania hemp farmers – CBD is just the beginning of a fast-growing industry. For the next six weeks, Hurlock will travel across the country with the goal of documenting the birth of the hemp industry by telling the stories of the women and men who are making it happen

"We’re going to be visiting hemp farms and businesses and entrepreneurs and visionaries all over the country," Hurlock said today at Penn State's Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Manheim, "and it’s not just CBD – it’s fiber and grain – the industrial applications – hopefully the raw materials of the future we’re going to build.”

Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding spoke at the event today who noted his excitement for the project & his hope for what hemp could mean for Pennsylvania's farming community and the economic impact for the state.

“That’s to me the fascinating piece...what is possible – the new science, textiles and plastics, building materials – unimaginable 100 years ago – all possible today.”

Hurlock, who's also the host of Lancaster Farming’s Industrial Hemp Podcast said he plans to interview and engage with the farmers, entrepreneurs and visionaries engaging with the crop. Curious viewers ca follow his six week sojourn via videos, podcasts interviews, print and digital articles, social media posts and more at lancasterfarming.com/hemptour.

The Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast has listeners across the world and was named a finalist in the Best Use of Audio category at the 2021 Global Media Awards presented by The International News Media Association."

www.fox43.com/article/news/local/hemp-farmers-gather-for-nationwide-kickoff-event/521-05817533-5a... ... See MoreSee Less

Hemp farmers gather for nationwide kickoff event

www.fox43.com

Hemp journalist & expert Eric Hurlock will travel in an RV across the country for six weeks.

Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council

1 month ago

"UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A pair of recent Penn State graduates planning to manufacture and sell crop row covers made of hemp fiber — instead of the typical plastic — won $7,500 toward their venture in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ 2021 Ag Springboard student business pitch contest.

Louis Waryanka and Sam Hackman competed as Irwin Innovation Group. They pitched their plan to produce and sell a row cover made of biodegradable fiber from hemp that sequesters carbon as it grows, helping to solve the problem of 11 billion square feet of damaged plastic row covers annually discarded by vegetable growers.

Waryanka majored in agricultural science and earned a double minor in agribusiness management and in entrepreneurship and innovation (with a food and bio-innovation focus). Hackman majored in agribusiness management with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation (with a focus in new ventures).

Hackman said he was “amazed at the progress” he and Waryanka made as they worked to polish their pitch through the course of the competition.

The team’s next step is to continue perfecting the recipe and bonding process to make a hemp-fiber material through which air, water and light can pass so it is suitable for the row cover application, Waryanka said.

Waryanka noted that the win was especially gratifying as the 2021 competition marked his third year competing in Ag Springboard. Two years ago, his team did not make it past the first round, and last year, his team made it to the final round but did not place."

news.psu.edu/story/661887/2021/06/18/academics/team-pitching-hemp-crop-row-covers-replace-plastic... ... See MoreSee Less

Team pitching hemp crop row covers to replace plastic wins Ag Springboard | Penn State University

news.psu.edu

A pair of recent Penn State graduates planning to manufacture and sell crop row covers made of hemp fiber — instead of the typical plastic — won $7,500 toward their venture in the College of Agric...