On this week’s Industrial Hemp Podcast, we talk to Fred Strathmeyer, Deputy Secretary for Plant Industry and Consumer Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture where he oversees the state’s industrial hemp program.

We talk about some of the challenges that Pennsylvania farmers and the team at PDA faced this year in terms of sampling, testing, and COVID-19.

He also unveils some details about the changes to the hemp program for 2021 — notably the plant minimum and acreage requirements. The permit application process opens December 5, 2020 for mail-in applicants. Online applicants are encouraged to wait until January 2021.

We talk about the Pennsylvania Hemp Steering committee and how it was instrumental in shaping the program for next year. Strathmeyer also says why he thinks the USDA will change the 15 day to harvest requirement in the final rule. And of course we talk about this week’s Pennsylvania Hemp Summit, Dec. 8 and 9.

Pennsylvania Department of Ag's 2021 Hemp Program https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/industrial_hemp/Pages/default.aspx

Pennsylvania Hemp Summit https://pahempsummit.com/

Hemp News Nuggets

Cannabis legalization bill set for historic U.S. House vote https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2020/11/30/cannabis-legalization-bill.html

Farmers hoping to cash in with Iowa's first legal hemp crop find hard work and risk: Some of it had to be destroyed https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2020/11/24/some-iowas-first-hemp-crop-burned-after-exceeding-thc-limits/6356257002/

Saratoga County-based nursery sues Washington County Sheriff, alleges deputies destroyed legally grown hemp https://dailygazette.com/2020/11/29/saratoga-county-based-nursery-sues-washington-county-sheriff-alleges-deputies-destroyed-legally-grown-hemp/