Research Poster Session at 2022 PA Hemp Summit

The PA Hemp Summit is returning to a full-sized event this November! After hosting portions of the event online the past two years due to COVID-19 concerns, the Reception, Summit, and Trade Show will take place in-person at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

The 2022 convention will feature reimagined educational programming, with more interactive and non-conventional presentations. Another first for the event will be a local Research Showcase, which aims to highlight students and researchers across a wide array of disciplines.

From the Call for Proposals:

The Hemp Research Poster Session is a professional development opportunity that will bring together students and investigators of industrial hemp along with industry and government leaders to spark conversation about the future directions of hemp innovation. Join us at this interactive session to engage with community members and network.

Submissions are invited from Academic and Research Institutions on one or more of the following topics related to Industrial Hemp:

Agronomy

Genetics

Cultivation

Pest Management

Herbicide & Weed Control

---

Grain

Fiber

CBD

Nutrition

---

Environmental Impact

Risk Management

Safety

Budget and Finance

To learn more on how to participate, please download the Request for Proposals, which is attached here:

Hemp Summit - Poster Presentation RFP.pdf

Download PDF • 45KB

The Hemp Services Directory is Live!

As the hemp industry grows and develops, it becomes increasingly difficult to

navigate without the proper resources. Harrison Grant, a graduate student, recently

wrapped up a project for the Pennsylvania Hemp Steering Committee which takes a

step towards finding a solution to this problem. Alongside Ron Kander and Cynthia

Petrone-Hudock, two leadership members of the PA Steering Committee, Grant created

a directory of all the permitted hemp growers, processors, and testing labs in

Pennsylvania. This comprehensive list of resources will help people in the industry

takes steps towards making their businesses successful.

The directory is formatted as a spreadsheet with columns labeled with the name,

location, and contact information for each business and the types of services they

provide including turnaround time. The directory will be updated continually to provide the most recent information available.

In an interview with Harrison Grant, he discussed some of his findings from his

data analysis of the research for the project. Grant explained, “The most surprising thing

that I learned was the kind of accreditations that a lot of these businesses have.” He

further explained that the accreditations vary by the type of business, but some of the

businesses focus on accreditations from international bodies while some focus on

national groups. For example, labs strive for accreditation from the International Accrediation Service. Other businesses in the hemp industry seek accreditation from national industry groups like the US Hemp Authority or government agencies like the FDA or USDA. This information is continually being updated in the directory.

The main goal of this project was to build a database that people could use to

navigate the hemp industry and connect with other hemp businesses. The spreadsheet

is made efficient through the use of filters, which narrow the results the viewer is

searching for. For example, the viewer could use the filters to find results for labs in

Bucks County, PA with an ISO accreditation. In an interview with Grant he discussed the

process of sifting through the research data and choosing what was most relevant and

how to best present the information. There was a great deal of thoughtfulness put into

this database in an attempt to strengthen PA’s hemp industry and begin to bring down

the barriers associated with the hemp industry. Grant explained in the interview how

valuable the experience of connecting on a direct level with the people behind these

businesses was because they can provide firsthand information which is important in

research and data analysis.

The database is live on the Pennsylvania Hemp Steering Committee’s website

under the Resources tab. The availability of this tool to hemp businesses is one step

towards growing and strengthening the hemp industry.

Hemp Building Materials Create Economic Opportunity

The Project PA Hemp Home is a construction showpiece, highlighting hemp-derived building materials sourced from Pennsylvania. Industrial hemp is a multi-use plant that can be transformed into natural alternatives to many synthetic materials, including insulation and flooring. The following video gives a peek into this exciting agricultural and construction opportunity. This project is sponsored by Don Industries and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. For more information on the construction of this house, visit the PA Hemp Home website and for information on industrial hemp processing, visit the Don Services website.