Hemp industry provides growing opportunities for Pennsylvania farmers

The hemp industry in Pennsylvania is making a comeback as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued more than 300 permits on nearly 600 acres at more than 800 different growing locations so far this year.

The plant was grown in the state until after World War II when its cultivation was prohibited.

Marijuana and hemp are different varieties of the same plant. Hemp is used for its fiber and seeds and has a concentration of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, that is far below the 0.3 percent legal limit.

Act 46 of 2017 allowed the state to make hemp subject to the Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee. The committee designated hemp a controlled plant and requires growers to register and obtain permits.

“Hemp is a new, old crop that has the potential to make a big impact on Pennsylvania’s agricultural – and economic – landscape,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said Friday while visiting a hemp growing site in Blair County. “It’s a crop with both a rich history and a bright future here in the commonwealth.”

The state has a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on a new and in-demand market for this versatile product, Gov. Tom Wolf said during the same visit.