Pennsylvania last week awarded nearly $19,000 in hemp industry grants aimed at agriculture, with $14,432 given to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and $4,500 Coexist Build, a private company.
The UPenn School of Veterinary Medicine grant is for the “development of sensitive method for analysis of cannabinoids in bovine serum and hemp seed samples,” while Coexist Build’s award is for “developing marketing strategy for agritourism highlighting regenerative, organic farm featuring hemp-based construction,” according to a press release from the Agriculture Department.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the investments into the state’s agriculture sector “hold the promise and potential to spur the innovation we need to increase productivity; advance human and animal medicine; and support cleaner water, healthier soil and a safer food supply.”
In all, the state awarded $1.287 million in grants to eight organizations for a variety of projects.
Last year, the state awarded a $2 million grant to Pure Penn – which is owned by Florida-based Trulieve – to expand its facility in McKeesport.
In 2019, the Ag Department announced a $460,000 Specialty Crop Black Grant for cultivators or hemp and other niche crops to enhance the market for and competitiveness of such crops, according to a Lancaster Farming report. According to the Department of Agriculture, 6.2% of those grants will be allocated to recipients and projects located in rural municipalities where at least 20% of the population has been below the federal poverty line since 1990 while 3.8% will be allocated to recipients and projects located in urban municipalities where at least 20% of the population has been below the federal poverty line since 1990.
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