The hemp industry is growing dramatically, particularly following the signing of the Farm Bill in 2018, which legalized the growth of hemp within the country. Hemp farming itself is still tightly regulated, but the legalization of domestic growth has caused the industry to boom. Pennsylvania’s hemp industry in particular has experienced tremendous growth in recent times. Pottstown itself is home to a hemp processing facility, operated by Agronomed Therapeutics. Agronomed, based in Exton, mainly focuses on developing and researching cannabis-based products for medical use.
“Agronomed is a plant-based therapies company with a large focus on cannabinoid research and product development. The plethora of cannabinoids, terpenes and other plant-based compounds naturally occurring in hemp allows us to expand our research and development, while providing the PA hemp industry an outlet for extraction and processing needs. Currently, there is a substantial lack of capacity for PA Hemp extraction and processing and Agronomed looks to help narrow that gap and grow over time,” says Chad DiFrancesco, Director of Operations for Agronomed Pharmaceuticals.
This season, the number of hemp farmers in the state of Pennsylvania has taken a dramatic jump from 39 to over 350 farmers, a clear indicator of the booming industry. Agronomed’s Pottstown facility, which the company invested about $1M in, will support these farmers by processing high-cannabinoid hemp and safely preparing it for medical use. The hemp will be grown in neighboring Chester County. Before being processed in the Agronomed’s Pottstown facility, it will go through third-party testing to ensure that it has proper cannabinoid levels and is free of harmful amounts of heavy metals, pesticides or microbials. This hemp has high levels of CBD and is non-psychoactive/does not contain THC. CBD-based products are rising in popularity, as they are proving to provide relief from symptoms related to various medical conditions.
The Pottstown facility is projected to provide 10 full-time positions. Part-time positions will also become available during busy harvest times. This is a major advancement in Pottstown and will help further its growth. The rapid growth of Pennsylvania’s hemp industry will likely continue to create employment opportunities in the region.
“Non-traditional industry is something PAID is very interested in pursuing. We believe that Pottstown’s future depends on innovations like hemp production and research,” says Peggy Lee-Clark, Executive Director of Pottstown Area Industrial Development (PAID), Inc.