Pennsylvania Grant Program Sets Up $200,000 for Hemp Education, Marketing

On October 17, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said: $200,000 grant program Recognize organizations that strive to promote hemp.

The department aims to award grants to reimburse “half of the project costs,” with a minimum grant of $1,000. Special consideration will be given to applicants who “leverage other funding or private partnerships.”

“Hemp offers a unique opportunity to grow an industry from scratch, supplying a seemingly endless supply of sustainable building materials, fibers and food,” Redding said. press release“These grants are feeding new industries that were once the mainstay of the Pennsylvania economy, and are once again presenting new possibilities for agricultural income and employment opportunities, and climate-friendly, environmentally beneficial products.” increase.”

Applicants must start no later than July 1, 2022 and complete by June 30, 2023 (but the application period ends December 2).

This is a small increase in total department grants. $157,735 in 2021used to raise funds 3 different projects To raise awareness of hemp products as useful fiber and food: hemp as a building material Don Service, Team Pennsylvania (also host of the Pennsylvania Hemp Summit) spearheads education, urban The Affairs Coalition All Together Now PA promoted hemp education by: good.

The press release praises the administration of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe for supporting and developing the state’s hemp program. At the Pennsylvania Hemp Summit in Julythe State Department of Agriculture announced a $460,000 program to support hemp growers and other unique crops through specialty crop block grants. building.

Back in 2019, Wolfe also signed the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, which provides for “strategic investments” in state agriculture, hemp as animal feed.

In other hemp news, Mergent Farms has built tiny homes in Europe using corrugated hemp sheets. Made with awareness in mind. “Fiber sequesters and locks carbon, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere. The result is a very low-carbon product. The sheet is bonded with a sugar-based resin made from agricultural waste.Our hemp sheet is a natural alternative to corrugated steel, PVC, bitumen and cement. It’s a product,” the construction company said on its website.

Earlier this summer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill removing cannabis from the state’s controlled substance list. “Agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry, and it is right for our local communities and our economy to give North Carolina farmers confidence that they can continue to participate in this growing market,” Cooper said in a press release. mentioned in the release.

A museum exhibit focused on hemp debuted in Barcelona in June, spotlighting the unique uses of hemp as an important trade crop and source of income for Japanese merchants. Unique clothing samples and literature are on display until February 2023.

Japan is also experiencing its own cannabis renaissance. Cannabis is tightly regulated, but the country’s health officials have proposed legalizing medical cannabis to coordinate regulations with other major countries.

A new report from Technavio is Global industrial hemp market, and the industry could grow to $6.47 billion in value between 2021 and 2026. Specifically, the report suggests that the primary hemp product will be textiles. , possess important properties such as excellent thermal and electrical properties such as high absorption, low static electricity and high heat of adsorption,” the report said. “Hemp is therefore used in the manufacture of apparel, fabrics, denim and fine textiles, increasing the demand for hemp in the textile segment. It is expected to grow during the forecast period.”