2020 Hemp Program Accepting Applications from Growers, Processors

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s 2020 hemp program is now accepting applications from both commercial growers and processors.

The 2020 application period is open through April 1. This year, both growers and processors of hemp are required to apply. The permitting of processors is new for the 2020 program. Each individual property will require its own permit and application. A permit costs $150.

It is the second year for the program, with farmers planting just over 4,000 acres of hemp across 55 counties in 2019.

Hemp was grown in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States until after World War II but became regulated along with marijuana and its cultivation was prohibited. Unlike marijuana, hemp is also grown for fiber and seed, in addition to floral extracts, and must maintain a much lower concentration of the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, below the 0.3% legal threshold.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s hemp program, visit agriculture.pa.gov/hemp.

Last modified on Monday, 13 January 2020 14:07

Published in Local News