Pennsylvania opens permit process for 2021 hemp season

Farmers who want to get an early start on plans to grow hemp in 2021 can submit their applications to the state by mail starting Saturday. Online applications for growers and processors will open in January.

The state has made it easier for small farmers to get in on the action, reducing the minimum number of hemp plants per grower from 300 to 150.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will host a virtual hemp summit Tuesday and Wednesday, with panelists discussing the ins and outs of the nascent industry.

“Hemp production represents a return to our heritage and a wealth of new opportunities,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. “Pennsylvania is committed to creating a commercial hemp program that works for small and large growers, new and established businesses, and urban and traditional agriculture.”

Pennsylvania grew hemp for hundreds of years, according to the Department of Agriculture. The crop was made illegal in 1937, when the federal government outlaws all cannabis products.

Hemp and marijuana are the same plant. Hemp farmers must have their crops tested to demonstrate they are below the 0.3% limit for THC — the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

Growing hemp has been popular among Pennsylvania farmers since the 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized the crop, despite falling prices and strict regulations.

More than 500 growers and 60 processors received permits from the state this year. In 2019, the state issued 324 permits.

Permits cost $150 for both growers and processors, or $50 to renew an existing permit.

Information about the virtual hemp summit is available at pahempsummit.com.

In 2020, the second year for hemp production in Pennsylvania, farmers lowered their expectations for the crop after profits in 2019 did not materialize as expected.

Hemp needs extensive processing to be turned into usable products like CBD oil or hemp fiber. Last year, there was too much hemp, and not enough processors. Farmers couldn’t find buyers for their products.

In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report that said the future of hemp is uncertain, but it probably will remain a specialty crop, dominated by a few states, rather than a profitable option for every farmer.

“We are taking a long view and we believe this approach will sustain and grow a robust Pennsylvania hemp industry in the future,” state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Shannon Powers said in a statement. “Interest in 2019 was overwhelming, and we expect a continued high level of interest in this promising crop.”