Lessons Learned in 2019, Looking Forward to 2020

Click for show notes. Episode 58: This week we talk to Dr. Ruth Welliver, the director of the Bureau of Plant Industry at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which over sees the industrial hemp program in the state. We talk about what PDA got right this year and what lessons it's learning for next year. Plus we get into how the new USDA interim rules might affect the hemp program in Pennsylvania next year. Then we check in with Erica Stark from the National Hemp Association, who has plenty to say about the new USDA rules and what they'll mean to farmers and the industry in general. Also, how a shipment of industrial hemp from a farm in Vermont ended up being confiscated by the NYPD. Links Specialty Block Grant Program http://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pabull?file=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol49/49-42/1555.html National Hemp Association https://nationalhempassociation.org/ USDA Hemp Program https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp Hemp Fire Story from Lancaster Online https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/it-s-a-lesson-hemp-farmers-lose-thousands-of-dollars/article_21f256ae-fb23-11e9-bca5-6f64eff270b0.html NY Post Hemp Confiscation Story https://nypost.com/2019/11/05/massive-marijuana-shipment-confiscated-by-nypd-is-legal-hemp-business-owner/ Green Angel CBD https://www.greenangeloil.com/ Tin Bird Shadow https://tinbirdshadow.bandcamp.com/releases