Grant Opportunity in Hemp for 2023

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding invites proposals for $460,000 in Pennsylvania Specialty Crop Block Grants, created under the PA Farm Bill in 2019 and funded a fourth time in 2022-23. Eligible projects stimulate market growth and advance the competitive position of crops designated as high priority for their potential to feed Pennsylvania’s economy and boost environmental sustainability. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.

The purpose of the Commonwealth Specialty Crop program is to enhance, but not replace, the Federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program by establishing a grant program for specialty crops that are not currently eligible for grant payments under the Federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, or that are otherwise designated high-priority specialty crops by the Secretary. Crops identified as high priority crops are hemp, honey, hardwood, and hops. Funding for the Program will assist the growth, certification of seed, and marketing of these eligible specialty crops.

In a press release, Secretary Redding stated,

"These PA Farm Bill grants are strategic investments in Pennsylvania’s future...Pennsylvania hardwoods supply the world with sustainable, quality building materials. Fiber hemp restores soil and sources sustainable materials from plastics and clothing to construction materials and auto parts. Hops and brewing grains are critical to our top-ranking craft brewing industry. These products are feeding our progress.”

Previously funded projects include assessing disease impacts on hemp, protecting hardwoods from spotted lanternflies, teaching brewing crop techniques, teaching grading and selection of hardwood lumber, assessing the environmental impacts of hemp, and promoting green jobs in the forest products industry.

A summary of eligibility and potential uses of funding can be found at agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill. Full grant guidelines can be found in the Pennsylvania Bulletin Saturday, October 29 edition. Project proposals must be received by 5:00 PM on December 2, 2022.

Proposals must be submitted through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Electronic Single Application. Applicants with questions about eligible projects or procedures should contact Lauren Stackhouse at lastackhou@pa.gov or 717.614.5730.

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

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Grain

Fiber

CBD

Nutrition

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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

Accounting For Carbon in Hemp Production Systems

A GHG Auditor's Perspective

Industrial hemp exists at the nexus of environmental and economic decarbonization. Historically, we have eroded our agricultural production system’s ability to naturally self-regulate in pursuit of higher yields and wider margins. As a result, our ability to adapt to increasingly dramatic fluctuations in our climates temperature and moisture levels is handicapped at a time we need it most. Without the proper accounting and crediting methods, the environmental value proposition for cultivating industrial hemp remains a shallow narrative.

Like a financial auditor, the Greenhouse gas (GHG) auditors’ role is to inventory and account for the fluctuation of different emissions produced in a particular project’s operational scope. Scientific methods of systematic sampling, inventorying, and modeling are used to determine accuracy and performance. This data is compiled and reported in a Greenhouse gas statement which is denominated in “Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalencies”. More commonly referred to as ‘tC02e’, it is analogous to the reserve currency a business operates in and expects to see on any fiscal reporting. While many production systems produce a positive (+, as in “more”) amount of GHGs, some natural production systems containing carbon-based lifeforms, like forests or soils, can absorb GHGs over time. When audited properly, this amounts to a negative (-, as in less than zero) number. Many times, and especially in agriculture, other Greenhouse gasses such CH4 and N20 exist during the production cycle. As every greenhouse has as a distinct ‘global warming potential’, these gasses are converted into the base unit of measurement, tC02e. This is where the term “equivalency” comes from. These systems and mechanisms serve to de-risk and increase transparency.

As it pretrains to agriculture, and more specifically the cultivation of industrial hemp, GHG auditing must be viewed from a wider, more holistic lens. Managing GHG reductions depends largely on the permanence of storage. Success is determined by how well and how long a GHGs can be fixed in biological matter. This is expressed in two ways, “Ton-Year” accounting and “Ton-Ton” accounting methods. In the case of hemp, some GHG storage will occur in soils as roots and other microorganisms propagate. A Ton-year approach is best in soil enrichment. However, most GHGs will be stored in the bast fibers and leaves. This is best quantified using a “Ton-Ton” approach. Too often, a hard and fast number is attributed to hemps ability to sequester GHG, when in fact performance is a function of efficiency and growth rate. It is important to understand how an inventory is to be conducted in this context. While some sophisticated satellite imaging and modeling technology can be used to make accurate inferences at lower cost, direct sampling of soils and biomass volumes remains the most reliable method.

As we navigate towards a more sustainable future, the ESG “race to the top” mentality continues to solidify. Wise business leaders who think strategically will understand that success is determined not just by risk and reward, but ever increasingly impact as well. A case study in low embodied emissions products in the industrial hemp supply chain, IND Hemp and Hempitecture recently announced a cooperative partnership presumably to produce, process and manufacture domestic hemp fiber insulation. Science and logic concur that a product consisting of natural materials has a lower carbon profile (or footprint) than that of a synthetic material. These valuable products don’t just increase a buildings energy efficiency, saving costs over the long term, but also reduce the embodied emissions profile of a building overall. Traditional mineral wool insulation on the other hand requires massive amounts of fossil fuel energy to manufacture and increases the emissions profile of a building. While hemp is not the answer to climate change, it is an important component of the solution. The more we support similar operations’ capacity to cultivate, quantify and utilize hemp intelligently, the better our ability to mitigate the risks of global warming and track success. If you are a cultivator of industrial hemp, interested in cultivating industrial hemp, own a company that processes industrial hemp, please consider contacting a GHG auditor to learn more about GHG inventorying and decarbonization techniques in agricultural production systems. Without the recognized levels of assurance provided by a certified GHG auditor, leveraging your GHG impact is an exercise in greenwashing at your own risk.