Pennsylvania Agriculture Department accepting industrial hemp research permits for 2019

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Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced this week that applications and guidelines for 2019 industrial hemp research permits are now available.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will select 60 research projects this year. The projects will help determine opportunities for the growth, cultivation, and marketing of industrial hemp.

This is the third year of the industrial hemp research program, through which the Department of Agriculture issues research permits to institutions of higher education or to persons contracted with the department to grow industrial hemp for research purposes.

The deadline to apply for the 2019 PDA Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program is Dec. 17. Tentatively approved applicants will be notified by Jan. 4, 2019. The department will select projects based on a complete program application and merit of the proposed research.

“Industrial hemp has a rich history in Pennsylvania, and presents a future opportunity for growers, processors, and other businesses that make a range of products across the commonwealth,” Secretary Redding said. “The first research projects conducted have shown exciting progress and possibilities for this reemerging crop. This research will help us reintroduced industrial hemp in Pennsylvania.”

Industrial hemp was grown in Pennsylvania until after World War II, but it became regulated along with marijuana, and its cultivation was prohibited. Industrial hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the same species of plant. Industrial hemp is grown primarily for fiber and seed and must maintain a concentration of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) below the 0.3 percent legal threshold.

“The 2014 Farm Bill represented the first step to bring industrial hemp back to Pennsylvania, and thanks to the combined efforts of Governor Wolf and the General Assembly, we were able to develop this research pilot program,” Redding said. “It has enabled us to learn many important lessons over the past few years.”

The Department of Agriculture maintains a DEA general import registration to import industrial hemp seed into the state. Selected research candidates can work with the department’s registered importer to purchase international seed for their research projects.