ST. MARYS — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding Thursday joined the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council at WOODBED CORP in St. Marys to recognize the strength of Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector and highlight
ST. MARYS — Woodbed Corp. in St. Marys on Thursday hosted Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council to highlight the strength of Pennsylvania’s agricultural sector.
Pennsylvania grant program to support hemp industry, which shrunk in 2020
Updated Feb 13, 2021;
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has announced a new grant program to promote the state’s hemp products, supporting a nascent agricultural industry that has faced plenty of growing pains.
Pennsylvania farmers planted less than 1,000 acres of hemp last year, down about 75% from 2019. Less than half of those crops were harvested. Most of the rest was lost to weather and pests. A small percentage had to be destroyed because the level of THC the psychoactive compound in marijuana was too high, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The downturn followed hemp’s price crash in 2019, caused by the nationwide glut of supply and lack of processing infrastructure after the 2018 Farm Bill fully legalized the once-illicit crop.