This week’s hemp podcast is divided into two parts.

Lancaster Farming talks with Shannon Powers from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture about some major changes to the hemp program in the Keystone State.

“The first is that Pennsylvania is moving to a performance-based testing system for growers who are growing either for fiber or grain,” Powers said.

Performance-based testing, she said, will reduce the amount of testing needed by growers if they meet basic requirements. Reduced testing means reduced costs for producers.

The second change, Powers said, is the removal of the application deadline. In the past, growers had to get their application in by April 1. Removing the deadline makes it easier for farmers to make planting decisions later in the season.

“We’re finding that folks can grow two crops of hemp in one season,” Powers said.

KP-4 Hemp Cutter

The second interview on the hemp podcast this week is with Peter Dushop, founder of the Canadian company Forever Green, distributors of the KP-4 hemp cutter.

The KP-4 is an adjustable-height, multi-tiered sickle bar for harvesting fiber hemp, made by Lithuanian equipment manufacturer Laumetris.

Dushop said the cutter makes “the crop manageable and improves consistency and repeatability from season to season, from field to field.”

Dushop grows fiber hemp on the family farm in British Columbia, where he is also developing a processing facility.

“We firmly believe that processing starts in the field and not necessarily at the mill,” Dushop said.

Learn more: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Hemp Program https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/hemp/Pages/default.aspx Agricultural Business Development Center https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Business_Industry/Pages/ABDC.aspx Forever Green https://www.forevergreen.com HempCutter.com https://www.hempcutter.com/ News Nuggets South Bend Industrial Hemp to Launch Apprenticeship Program https://www.morningagclips.com/south-bend-industrial-hemp-to-launch-apprenticeship-program-through-kfbs-rkap/ Hemp-Based Batteries to Be Manufactured in Wisconsin https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/hemp-based-batteries-to-be-manufactured-in-wisconsin/64029 Thanks to our Sponsors! IND HEMP https://indhemp.com/ National Hemp Association https://nationalhempassociation.org/