Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
The greater Lehigh Valley scored a handful of the first 16 industrial hemp research projects approved by the state Department of Agriculture.
Lehigh University researchers and the Berks County-based Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council will partner on three different projects, and the Rodale Institute in Maxatawny Township will evaluate potential benefits of industrial hemp both as a cash crop and as a tool for weed control and soil health.
GenCanna Global Inc., a startup that previously participated in Kentucky's pilot program, will also grow hemp on a farm in Maxatawny Township in Berks County.
"I couldn't be more pleased that we are passing yet another auspicious point in the reintroduction of hemp," said Geoffrey Whaling, president of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council. "The wide range of projects speaks to the diversity and potential of the crop."
Industrial hemp is the strait-laced sibling of marijuana. Both come from the same fibrous plant, Cannabis sativa, but hemp has a negligible amount of the psychoactive substance that produces a high. Industrial hemp is a versatile crop, used to make rope, clothing, health food and beauty products among other items.
Industrial hemp was grown commercially through the World War II era. But all varieties of the plant, including hemp, were classified as a schedule one drug during the administration of President Richard Nixon, and legal hemp cultivation is virtually impossible under Drug Enforcement Administration regulations.
Since 2014, though, the federal government has permitted the cultivation of hemp for research, and some states have decided such research should include commercial endeavors. The Pennsylvania Legislature unanimously approved a research pilot program last summer, and the Department of Agriculture released the pilot program's permitting guidelines in December.
"We now have the chance to re-establish this promising plant in Pennsylvania, which we believe could offer farmers tremendous new opportunities down the road," agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. "The first step in realizing those opportunities, however, is to demonstrate the viability and the potential of the plant through these research projects."
Most projects, Redding said, intend to build on existing knowledge of how to optimize industrial hemp production in Pennsylvania, including a better understanding of what varieties will grow well here and what farming practices are best for industrial hemp growth.
Lehigh University and the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council will conduct three separate studies. In one, they'll evaluate hemp's ability to remediate metal-heavy soils at sites where mining or other industrial activities occurred. Bryan Berger, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is also interested in what potential uses remain for toxin-sucking hemp.
The Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council, Pennsylvania Farmers Union and some politicians criticized the Department of Agriculture in December for making the pilot program guidelines too restrictive, particularly for family farmers. They fear the state's cautious approach will cause it to substantially miss out on a burgeoning market.
"[The Department of Agriculture] was erring on the side of caution, but I know they want to work with everybody to try to move this along," Whaling said. "This has major potential for the state, and I think they have realized some shortcomings of the program guidelines and are going to work toward improving them."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lehigh Valley Lands Industrial Hemp Research Projects
Author: Andrew Wagaman
Contact: (610) 820-6565
Photo Credit: The Morning Call
Website: The Morning Call
Lehigh University researchers and the Berks County-based Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council will partner on three different projects, and the Rodale Institute in Maxatawny Township will evaluate potential benefits of industrial hemp both as a cash crop and as a tool for weed control and soil health.
GenCanna Global Inc., a startup that previously participated in Kentucky's pilot program, will also grow hemp on a farm in Maxatawny Township in Berks County.
"I couldn't be more pleased that we are passing yet another auspicious point in the reintroduction of hemp," said Geoffrey Whaling, president of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council. "The wide range of projects speaks to the diversity and potential of the crop."
Industrial hemp is the strait-laced sibling of marijuana. Both come from the same fibrous plant, Cannabis sativa, but hemp has a negligible amount of the psychoactive substance that produces a high. Industrial hemp is a versatile crop, used to make rope, clothing, health food and beauty products among other items.
Industrial hemp was grown commercially through the World War II era. But all varieties of the plant, including hemp, were classified as a schedule one drug during the administration of President Richard Nixon, and legal hemp cultivation is virtually impossible under Drug Enforcement Administration regulations.
Since 2014, though, the federal government has permitted the cultivation of hemp for research, and some states have decided such research should include commercial endeavors. The Pennsylvania Legislature unanimously approved a research pilot program last summer, and the Department of Agriculture released the pilot program's permitting guidelines in December.
"We now have the chance to re-establish this promising plant in Pennsylvania, which we believe could offer farmers tremendous new opportunities down the road," agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. "The first step in realizing those opportunities, however, is to demonstrate the viability and the potential of the plant through these research projects."
Most projects, Redding said, intend to build on existing knowledge of how to optimize industrial hemp production in Pennsylvania, including a better understanding of what varieties will grow well here and what farming practices are best for industrial hemp growth.
Lehigh University and the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council will conduct three separate studies. In one, they'll evaluate hemp's ability to remediate metal-heavy soils at sites where mining or other industrial activities occurred. Bryan Berger, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is also interested in what potential uses remain for toxin-sucking hemp.
The Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council, Pennsylvania Farmers Union and some politicians criticized the Department of Agriculture in December for making the pilot program guidelines too restrictive, particularly for family farmers. They fear the state's cautious approach will cause it to substantially miss out on a burgeoning market.
"[The Department of Agriculture] was erring on the side of caution, but I know they want to work with everybody to try to move this along," Whaling said. "This has major potential for the state, and I think they have realized some shortcomings of the program guidelines and are going to work toward improving them."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lehigh Valley Lands Industrial Hemp Research Projects
Author: Andrew Wagaman
Contact: (610) 820-6565
Photo Credit: The Morning Call
Website: The Morning Call
