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An informative talk between Rep. Pam DeLissio and Pa. Ag Secretary Russ Redding.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMq3V3XkWMgPa state Rep. Pamela DeLissio sat down with Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding to discuss the Commonwealth's growing hemp industry. More a...
"At the Pennsylvania farm show earlier this month, passers-by stopped, stared, and questioned their friends about a towering hemp plant set on a display table. Teens took pictures on their phones. Some people reached out to touch it.
Pam Runser, of northwestern Pennsylvania, was a bit confused.
"I thought I knew what hemp was," Runser said. "But I asked my friends and it's related to marijuana. Is this what marijuana comes from? I'm not really sure."
Hemp and marijuana are both forms of cannabis, but they are not the same.
Les Stark with the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (PAHIC) has been explaining this difference to farm show attendees for over a decade. In the beginning, he said he got a lot of questions like Runser's, but now he sees more farmers asking where they can buy seed.
Stark, who's written a book about the history of hemp in Pennsylvania, said what's old is new again.
"Pennsylvania was famous for hemp, especially in Lancaster County. We were known for it. And now it's an exciting new opportunity," he said.
But before farmers can take advantage of that opportunity, they're going to need a supply chain. For now, that doesn't exist.
PAHIC's executive director Erica McBride-Stark said farmers will need the security of knowing there is a buyer for their hemp before they put seeds in the ground, and potential processors will want to know they'll have enough product to work with and sell.
She said a recent change by the state Agriculture Department to lift a cap on the amount of hemp individuals can grow will help move the industry forward.
"In order to attract the investment money, we need to build the infrastructure," McBride-Stark said. "We needed unlimited acreage and now we have it and now there's a lot of big plans going on. We should have a full-scale commercial processing facility in Pennsylvania, hopefully by the end of this year."
McBride-Stark admits she's optimistic, but she believes the hemp industry in Pennsylvania could grow to be worth $1 billion, simply because hemp can be combined with other materials and touch so many different areas."
www.witf.org/news/2019/01/industrial-hemp-could-become-common-sight-in-pa-once-again.php
Industrial hemp could become common sight in Pa. once again
witf.org
Hemp displayed at the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show. (Photo: Rachel McDevitt/WITF) (Harrisburg) -- Industrial hemp used to be grown across the commonwealth and used for things like clothing, rope, and a...
And the general public can’t grow it because of application fees and licenses.
I know I won’t be able to grow it but I’m still excited about the future job opportunities
We also now have the hemp and sativa crossbreeds which are blurring the lines and making people even more confused, oy. Make all Cannabis stains and all varieties legal for Pete's sake.
"Dallastown's Wyndridge Farm has been named the sole grower and processor of hemp for Albright College's research of the fibrous material originating from the cannabis plant.
The college, located in Reading, Berks County, is one of 60 entities recently permitted to study the versatile material by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Wyndridge Farm announced the partnership in a Wednesday, Jan. 9, press release.
“There are thousands of uses for industrial hemp,” said Steve Groff, an Albright alumnus who co-owns the farm with his wife, Julie. “Part of the need for Pennsylvania is to determine which to focus on first.”
Research permits: The efforts date back to 2014, when Congress passed the Omnibus Farm Bill, which permitted states to issue research permits for farmers to cultivate and research hemp legally.
Gov. Tom Wolf then signed the Industrial Hemp Research Act in 2016, which permitted the state to start its own Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program that was officially implemented in 2017."
www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/local/2019/01/11/wyndridge-farm-partnering-albright-college-grow-...
Wyndridge Farm partnering with Albright College to grow and research hemp
yorkdispatch.com
Dallastown's Wyndridge Farm has been named the sole grower and processor of hemp for Albright College's research of the fibrous material originating from the cannabis plant.
Hemp is hundreds of years old and has a well documented history for its many uses...why the hell are we still "researching" it?
Holly Christine Cadwallader Lamar Smith Yolanda R Lamar Tamara McCutcheon
"Revitalization for Reading and more
On its Farm Show table, the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council displayed about a dozen products, including sunglasses, kitty litter, an interior vehicle panel, and building materials like hempcrete.
Les Stark is a founding member of the organization, a hemp historian, and a longterm advocate for legalization. He was key in the passage of the Industrial Hemp Act, which allowed the crop to be grown for research purposes in Pa.
In 2017, the state approved 16 projects (including a few from the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council) and capped acreage devoted to hemp at five max. By the next year, that number grew to 39 approved permits and nearly 1,000 collective acres.
The Department of Agriculture received 82 applications for 2019, with 60 permits available. According to Stark, the state plans to approve all of them with the passage of the Farm Bill. (A spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.)
Farmers who want to grow hemp will still need a license from the state, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said on Lancaster Farming‘s podcast, but there won’t be a cap on how many people can produce it. The application process has yet to reopen, and a message on the department’s site says it “will consider our options relative to how hemp production will be carried out” in the coming weeks.
Legal hemp won’t just benefit farmers. In an interview with KYW NewsRadio, Redding said Philadelphia’s expertise in chemistry, distribution, finance, and manufacturing could play a role in a burgeoning hemp industry.
“They’re the elements that take industrial from where we are today and make it be a really viable and financially significant and meaningful crop for Pennsylvania,” he said.
Stark has been preaching the good word about hemp for years — how it could rescue family farms, bring back manufacturing jobs, and save the planet. He couldn’t divulge too many details, but told Billy Penn there are plans to open a hemp processing plant in Reading, one of Pennsylvania’s poorest cities. Once established, it could employ roughly 250 people, he said, and process 14,000 acres of hemp from nearby farms.
Previously, it was difficult to attract investment to Pennsylvania because of the state’s limited program and the small number of acres devoted to the crop, Stark said. He’s still preaching caution, as the industry will need time to grow.
“I don’t recommend 1,000 farmers go out and grow 1,000 acres.”
billypenn.com/2019/01/11/how-hemps-new-legal-status-could-transform-dozens-of-pa-industries/
How hemp's new legal status could transform dozens of PA industries
billypenn.com
This year's Farm Show featured cannabis sunglasses, kitty litter, interior vehicle panels, building materials and more.Hemp at the Farm Show! 🙂
Do you have any recommendations on insurance companies offering crop insurance for hemp?
Great job Les! Keep up the good work.....Looks great!
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