Hemp is famous for its “bioaccumulative properties,” which means it can absorb many properties from the soil, including, according to Hemp Industry Daily, “radioactive elements, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, explosives and fuel.” This makes hemp an excellent choice for cleaning battered soil (hemp has. Industrial hemp producers should carefully identify what industrial hemp products and sales channels are available before starting production, obtain the necessary permits prior to production, and ensure that production is conducted in accordance with state and federal laws. Industrial hemp is commercially produced in more than 30 countries around the world, with France being the largest producer of industrial hemp in the world. Concerns about the use of plants for drug purposes led to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1938, which made both hemp and marijuana controlled substances and effectively eliminated industrial hemp production (with some exceptions when fiber was needed during World War II).
Pennsylvania industrial hemp producers should carefully consider the cost of transporting fiber or grain when evaluating the potential profitability of industrial hemp. To account for differences in germination, emergence, disease, and plant competition, plant hemp for grain at 25 to 40 pounds per acre and hemp for fiber at 40 to 80 pounds per acre. There was a time when there were more than 100 water factories to process hemp fiber in Lancaster County alone (ten things you never knew about PA's hemp history). There were also many hemp seed oil mills that pressed excess hemp seeds into oil, which was used in paints, inks, varnishes, and lamp oil.
Growers can grow hemp in various soils, but the best soil for hemp is loose, well-drained, clayey soil with a PH level between 6.0 and 7.5.
