By Megan Tomasic
Even as Pennsylvania’s hemp industry continues to face growing pains, farmer Rick Fundy knows there is potential in the trade.
This year, he invested $5,000 to begin growing hemp on his future son-in-law’s Latrobe farm. With equipment already purchased for use on other crops, Fundy invested in seeds and other items necessary to begin growing the plant. So far, 200 of the 2,100 seeds that were planted have sprouted, Fundy said.
“I know the potential is there for very good income, but we’re learning from our mistakes the first time and we know what to do better next season,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll break even, and then I think we’ll turn a profit from what I’ve invested — which wasn’t very much because the infrastructure was already (at the farm).”
Farmers have largely struggled since hemp was legalized through the federal 2018 Farm Bill. Last year, the more than 500 growers and 60 processors with state permits planted fewer than 1,000 acres of hemp — down about 75% since 2019. Officials last year noted that less than half of those crops were harvested, with most of the rest lost to weather and pests.