Source: lehighvalleylive.com
Hemp grows to maturity in about 110 days, according to the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced approval Thursday, March 16, 2017, of 16 research proposals that seek to demonstrate the value and viability of industrial hemp cultivation in the state. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
The greater Lehigh Valley region is home to nearly half of the 16 new research projects announced this week to explore the potential of industrial hemp.
To Geoffrey Whaling, president and founder of the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Council, this new look to the plant's future strikes him as a bit of an anachronism.
Pennsylvania, after all, was home to commercial cultivation of hemp through the World War II era, before it was outlawed in the 1950s and '60s as part of federal regulation of marijuana, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
"We really don't need a lot of research," said Whaling, though he acknowledges the idea of growing hemp seems like a foreign concept to a lot of people: "They don't think about it being the paper on which the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written, that the very first American flag was made of.
"We don't have to reach too far to see how Pennsylvania has used hemp in the past."
These new research projects, however, are not your grandfather's hempen rope.
For example, the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Council last week received state approval to work with Lehigh University on exploring the possibilities of hemp "in bio-manufacturing nanosheets as a matrix for quantum dots," according to Thursday's announcement by state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.
Another project of the council and Lehigh will evaluate the use of hemp for erosion control and phytoremediation, which entails using the plant to draw out heavy metals and toxins from contaminated soil. Lehigh has a prime test site right in Upper Saucon Township: an arsenic-contaminated, former zinc mine owned by the university near the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, Whaling said.
His council and Lehigh University are partnering on a third project "to isolate and identify hemp components with antimicrobial activity under laboratory conditions."
Other research projects to gain state approval are planned by GenCanna Global Inc. in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties; Lehigh and Cheyney universities in Schuylkill and Bedford counties; Rodale Institute in Berks County and Delaware Valley University in Bucks County.
"The level of thought that went into these proposals, along with the ingenuity and range of the underlying research questions, is impressive," Redding, the agriculture secretary, said in a statement. "It is energizing to see the alliances that already have been created among academic, civic, farm and industry organizations. It is a reminder of the vibrant and resourceful agricultural community at the heart of our commonwealth.
"We are grateful to these researchers for their commitment to build an industrial hemp industry in Pennsylvania, and we thank them for choosing to work with us as we take the first steps in that direction," Redding continued. "We are committed to working with growers to further refine and improve the program and to encourage and foster additional research that will lead to future opportunities for Pennsylvania agriculture."
Hemp has the potential to become a billion-dollar industry in Pennsylvania, Whaling said.
It's sustainable, grows to maturity in 100 days and requires no pesticides or fertilizer, he said. European automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW already use hemp in manufacturing. Hemp seeds are edible, and are sold today in Pennsylvania in a sterilized form and in products; the seeds are 100 percent digestible protein and contain as much beneficial Omega 3,6, and 9 fatty acids as fish oil, according to the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Council.
"It's a super crop and a super food," Whaling said. "It could touch every single part of our lives, and we just need to get through this first phase of research to prove it to be possible."
A 2015 report from the Congressional Research Service found that hemp is used in more than 25,000 products worldwide, including automotive interiors, textiles, paper, foods, beverages and nutritional supplements among others. China and Canada dominate hemp production today, with the United States being the world's largest importer of the cash crop. It is estimated to be a nearly $600 million industry today in the U.S., the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says
Pennsylvania is starting at "ground zero" with this new round of research, Whaling said, and hurdles remain before the first seed can even be planted for use in the 16 approved research projects.
For one, the seed has to come from Europe or Canada, under the federal 2014 Farm Bill that opened the door to hemp research, Whaling said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has yet to release the permits for Pennsylvania to obtain the seed.
"We absolutely have to have seed by May" to be planted by June for research to begin this year, Whaling said.
Statewide, 75 acres of hemp will be grown as part of the research products, compared to 8,000 acres in industry leader Kentucky, Whaling said. His Industrial Hemp Council is looking to grow 20 acres, divided among three 5-acre plots and two 2 1/2-acre plots.
Whaling works out of Fleetwood in Berks County and said he envisions the greater Lehigh Valley and Berks County region as an "epicenter for the resurgence of industrial hemp." He ticked off local businesses that could benefit, from Jaindl Farms to Air Products.
"We just need to start this research so we can prove to them that there are benefits out there and can start building an industry," Whaling said.
Unlike its sister plant marijuana, hemp won't get anyone high. Industrial hemp is grown for fiber and seed, and must maintain a concentration of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, below the 0.3 percent legal threshold, according to the state Agriculture Department.
Pennsylvania, of course, is embarking on a marijuana experiment, as well, with creation of a new medical cannabis program.
The state Department of Health is accepting permits postmarked by Monday for 25 grower/processor permits, five of which will also be issued a permit to dispense medical cannabis products starting sometime in 2018.
Those permits are expected to be awarded after a 90-day review, Health Department spokeswoman April Hutcheson said Friday.
16 hemp research projects approved
Following is the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's full list of the 16 approved research projects by county and affiliated organization, with a brief description of each:
Allegheny/Westmoreland County, Commonwealth Alternative Medicinal Options (CAMO), to track seed and stalk yield, plant nutrients and general development under Pennsylvania growing conditions.
Armstrong County, Academic Sciences of Pennsylvania LLC, to compare seed quality and yield under different growing conditions (planting and harvest dates, nutrients, irrigation and spacing).
Berks County, Rodale Institute, to evaluate potential benefits of industrial hemp as a cash or cover crop for weed control and soil health.
Bucks County, Delaware Valley University, to compare four hemp varieties for plant height, seed yields, and insect presence under Pennsylvania growing conditions.
Centre County, Penn State University, to compare six varieties under different growing conditions (planting dates, seed densities, tillage regimens and nitrogen levels); track plant height, yield, disease and insect impact to develop draft production recommendations for Pennsylvania.
Dauphin County, Royal Beverage LLC doing business as Orgaceutical Corp., to compare at least four cultivars growing under Pennsylvania conditions.
Franklin County, Destiny's Agro Farm Inc., to compare at least four cultivars for visual qualities, fiber content, and seed yields.
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (Lehigh University), to isolate and identify hemp components with antimicrobial activity under laboratory conditions.
Lehigh/Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (Lehigh University), to evaluate use of hemp for erosion control and phytoremediation of heavy metals; study absorption and distribution of contaminants within the plant.
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (Lehigh University), to test plant material for use in biomanufacturing nanosheets as a matrix for quantum dots.
Lycoming County, Global Industry Standard LLC, to measure invasive potential to spread to areas where it was not planted.
Lycoming/Montour counties, Pennsylvania Hemp Compan, LLC, to compare seed varieties under different growing conditions (sowing, harvesting, growth, wellness, and yield); explore fiber uses, seed use for culinary oil, and end-user markets.
Mifflin County, Justben Agriculture LLC, to compare five varieties for end use for human consumption and biofuel; stalk material will be pelletized for fuel or used for animal bedding.
Berks/Lehigh/Montgomery County, GenCanna Global Inc, to measure protein profiles, growth and yields under different growing watering conditions; study storage stability; and explore local processing options.
Perry County, Perry County Land and Cattle Company, to measure weight gain in cattle with/without seed meal supplement; process seed into oil; use hemp stalks for cattle bedding.
Schuylkill and Bedford counties, AgriLogic PA LLC, (Cheyney University, Lehigh University), to track growth of fish (largemouth bass and rainbow trout) on diets with/without added hemp; compare weight gain, feed efficiency, protein digestibility, and fish health/nutrient proteins.
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