Hemp Voices: Lori Daytner, Don Processing
Lori Daytner: Launching an industrial hemp fiber hub
I am working to launch an industrial hemp fiber production hub which includes decortication and a HempWood™ facility. We have the chance to develop a “new” industry again and create so much economic opportunity for local supply chains.
What was a win for your organization in the past year? We had continued success with our Hemp Test Acres Program, which we launched three years ago in order to ensure enough farmers learned to grow hemp fiber, as well as to test cultivars in our region. In addition to that, we have started R&D processes with endusers using our specific hemp cultivars. Project PA Hemp Home is another—a great project to showcase hemp building materials with the support of PA Department of Agriculture, which is working very hard to position Pennsylvania as a leading hemp production state.
What is something about hemp building/construc-tion/processing you didn’t know a year ago? Change and development is happening almost weekly now, so just keeping up with that adds to our knowledge base. It’s difficult to separate what you know today from even yesterday, which is exciting!
What challenges does the hemp building industry/ hemp industry face that they must overcome in the next five years? Having the number of processors needed to bring the cost of materials down to competitive levels will be a big help, but even more than that, I think getting awareness of hemp building products to the same level as say, organic produce, or environmentally sustainable goods, will be a real factor in mainstream adoption – and this is a key challenge.
