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Through our sister organization, National Hemp Association, we are proud to present our members with this educational webinar series!
We’ve gathered experts to present you the information you need to know to get started in the industry. Topics include:
- CBD Cultivation Best Practices
- Fiber and Grain Cultivation Best Practice
- Selecting Genetics
- How to Read a Certificate of Analysis
- Understanding THC Testing
- CBD Extraction Methods
- Taking Products to Market
- And More!
You must be logged in to view the full length videos but here is a taste!
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"On this week’s podcast, we talk to Judy Wicks, founder of All Together Now Pennsylvania and the Industrial Hemp Local Supply Chain Coalition about the importance of local supply chains especially in these times of global pandemic.
And then we hear from Dr. Gerald Gaudino, chief science advisor at New Frontier Data, about CBD and the coronavirus, and what the industry can do to stop the spread of bad information."
www.lancasterfarming.com/community/podcasts_and_audio/importance-of-local-supply-chains-in-the-fa...
Importance of Local Supply Chains in the Face of Global Pandemic
www.lancasterfarming.com
On this week’s podcast, we talk to Judy Wicks, founder of All Together Now Pennsylvania and the Industrial Hemp Local Supply Chain Coalition about the importance of local supply chains"The first year of widespread commercial hemp farming in the U.S. met considerable enthusiasm in Pennsylvania — especially in Lancaster County, which was a hemp powerhouse until the crop was federally banned about eight decades ago.
But after a price drop, continued deep uncertainty and new federal guidance that largely dismayed the industry, the mood is much more measured as preparations for the second year begin.
Advocates still say that long-term, they believe hemp can be a game-changer for farmers, with myriad uses from nutrition to manufacturing. But for now, they’re advising a ton of caution and research.
“It seems like everyone is pumping the brakes,” says Alyssa Collins, director of Penn State Extension’s Rapho Township research center, calling that “probably a good thing.”
lancasteronline.com/alwayslancaster/price-drops-temper-lancaster-county-s-hemp-enthusiasm/article...
Price drops temper Lancaster County's hemp enthusiasm
lancasteronline.com
The first year of widespread commercial hemp farming in the U.S. met considerable enthusiasm in Pennsylvania — especially in Lancaster County, which was a hemp powerhouse until the crop was"For American farmers, the recent legalization of hemp growing after the crop had disappeared from fields for generations has been portrayed as a panacea.
Low milk prices got you down? Sell the herd and grow hemp. Tired of growing soybeans? Why not give hemp a try?
While there’s been a lot of hype about hemp, like any crop, there are risks and rewards to consider for central Pennsylvania farmers getting into the hemp-growing game.
Joshua Leidecker was the first farmer to plant hemp in Pennsylvania on a Limestoneville property when its planting for industrial uses – fiber, oil, and feed, mostly – was approved by the state in 2017. At that time, farmers couldn’t get financial backing from banks to plant hemp, since it was still considered illegal by the federal government.
By virtue of his early experience growing hemp, Leidecker, the founder of Susquehanna Mills Co., has found himself called on by eager farmers. Many are hoping to take advantage of a market that only a year ago was paying high prices for cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in the cannabis plant that has therapeutic effects without the psychoactive properties of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in marijuana.
“I had every Amish person in the world calling me wanting to know if they could grow CBD,” Leidecker told a group of farmers gathered at the Susquehanna Mills facility the first week of March. “There’s a lot of people with big wide eyes who want to pay off the farm in a year.”
The market for CBD, as well as fiber and seed, is still in the process of development, Leidecker told the group."
www.northcentralpa.com/features/the-profits-and-perils-of-growing-hemp/article_8182644c-6478-11ea...
The profits and perils of growing hemp
www.northcentralpa.com
For American farmers, the recent legalization of hemp growing after the crop had disappeared from fields for generations has been portrayed as a panacea."CHEYNEY—Plans call for Cheyney University’s bucolic campus to host a 10-acre hemp farm and processing plant in an existing university building and commonwealth-owned fields.
Advanced Alchemy Labs, a West Chester-based company that produces hemp extract-based health products, is teaming with the 550-student university.
Enrollment recently rebounded and the university balanced its budget for the first time since 2011. In November it again earned accreditation.
The university has attracted, and is seeking more businesses for on-campus partnerships to enhance the student experience.
“This is a very significant transaction for Cheyney as we continue to form partnerships with forward-looking companies to operate on our campus,” said Cheyney University President Aaron A. Walton. “In this deal, we achieve the two mandatory components of all of our corporate collaborations.
“First, there will be paid internships for our students, along with training and curriculum surrounding hemp cultivation and processing. Also, Cheyney will benefit financially from the company’s presence on our campus. This partnership is yet another example of the two filters we use to evaluate opportunities: Number One, it must be in the best interest of our students and Number Two, it must preserve/advance our institution.”
Chester County has a rich agricultural history and according to a release, represents a future viable crop for farms and other entities in the county. Hemp can be used to produce plastic, paper, clothing and cars and will be grown by Advanced Alchemy Labs at nine other Pennsylvania locations.
In addition to the 10-acre hemp fields, 10,000 square feet of the school’s Jones Hilton maintenance building will be used for processing.
“While farming hemp has become increasingly popular, there is a shortage in processing capacity,” reads the release. “There are very few certified and appropriate facilities in the region where the crop can be dried, extracted and processed.
“Advanced Alchemy Labs hopes to fill that void.”
The founders of the company, including former Philadelphia Flyer Riley Cote, has been successful in the hemp-based health products business under the brand BodyChek Wellness. That hemp is grown in Colorado. Advanced Alchemy Labs hopes to distribute globally from the new facility in Thornbury Township after securing approval from the municipality, which is projected within the next five months."
www.dailylocal.com/news/hemp-fields-coming-to-cheyney-university/article_c528dbcc-5e79-11ea-87a8-...
"LANCASTER, Pa. — The first Keystone Hemp Conference was held Wednesday in Lancaster.
Everyone who attended had one thing in common -- a vested interest in the future of the hemp industry in Pennsylvania."
www.wgal.com/article/conference-aims-to-help-farmers-make-most-of-hemp-crop/31231155
Conference aims to help farmers make most of hemp crop
www.wgal.com
The goal of the first Keystone Hemp Conference was to lay out a road map for future success in the industry.For general thought on the MATTER... The THC requirements will likely be limiting to hemp farmers and the industry at large... being own who has grown varieties in states where Cannabis is "MORE LEGAL" - I can tell you first hand that there are varieties that grow HARD STALK(pulp) which in one growing season - from seed to harvest is fairly wide in diameter.. (considering wood and paper products) There may be a loss in PULP amount as result of "forcing the plant" variety down below the .3% THC amount .... Regulators need to get over the "discriminatory" mindset on that plant. (as that is what it is at the CORE, against the CULTURE of Cannabis)
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