Industrial Hemp is creating a buzz in PA
What to look for on Smart Talk, Tuesday, May 7, 2019:
Industrial hemp is creating quite a buzz in Pennsylvania and around the country.
Touted as America’s “next big cash crop,’ the 2018 Farm Bill fully legalized the cultivation of hemp–and farmers are taking notice.
Industrial hemp has a long history in the U.S. as a textile. It was also a common crop in Pennsylvania, mainly produced for rope and sailcloth before the invention of lighter synthetics.
Modern uses for industrial hemp are expansive. Products ranging from clothing to compression moldings — food products to biofuel.
The applications for industrial hemp are seemingly unlimited. So, why has it taken the government so long to remove the barriers?
Today’s Smart Talk is an encore presentation on how Pennsylvania growers are responding to the opportunity, with Alyssa A. Collins, Ph.D., Director, Penn State extension Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center, Mark O’Neill, communications director with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and grower Scott Brown of Brown Hill Farms in Wyoming County.
