2018 Farm Bill: An Update on the Hemp Industry

2018 Farm Bill: An Update on the Hemp Industry

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  • For Immediate Release
  • December 30, 2025

MEDIA ADVISORY

Public Hearing on 2018 Farm Bill: An Update on the Hemp Industry

What: The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors and staff are holding an upcoming public hearing on the hemp industry on January 15 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Hearing presenters will share perspectives related to the impact and unintended consequences of the 2018 Farm Bill and recent federal legislative changes on the hemp industry, including its economic impact, the opportunities and challenges with running a hemp business, and legal and scientific considerations.

Who:
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors

  • Senator Gene Yaw, Chair
  • Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Vice Chair
  • Dr. Nancy Falvo, Pennsylvania Western University Clarion, Secretary
  • Mr. Stephen M. Brame, Governor's Representative, Treasurer
  • Senator Judy Schwank
  • Representative Dan Moul
  • Dr. David Abler, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Mr. Richard Esch, University of Pittsburgh
  • Dr. Jeffrey Hyde, Penn State Extension
  • Ms. Shannon M. Munro, Pennsylvania College of Technology
  • Dr. Charles Patterson, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
  • Ms. Susan Snelick, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College
  • Mr. Darrin Youker, Governor's Representative

Anticipated Testifiers:

Panel 1: Commonwealth Efforts Related to the Hemp Industry
  • Mr. Frank Schneider, Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Panel 2: Legal, Scientific, and Economic Perspectives on the Hemp Industry
  • Mr. Kevin R. Steele, District Attorney, Montgomery County, PA
  • Mr. John Adams, District Attorney, Bucks County, PA; Communications Chair, Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association
  • Mr. Kevin McKernan, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder, Medicinal Genomics
  • Mr. Beau Whitney, Chief Economist, Whitney Economics
Panel 3: Pennsylvania's Hemp Business Community
  • Mr. Jake Sitler, President, Pennsylvania Hemp and Cannabis Guild; Owner of Endo Café in Lancaster County, PA
  • Mr. Tyler Shannon, Owner and Farmer, Shannon Family Farm in Adams County, Pennsylvania
  • Mr. Beau Whitney, Chief Economist, Whitney Economics

Submitted Written Testimony:

  • Ms. Meredith Buettner Schneider, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition
  • Ms. Kristen Goedde, Founder and Head of Operations, Trichome Analytical
  • Mr. Jesse Worsk, Co-Founder of Black Bear Dispensary in Grove City, PA

When: Thursday, January 15, 12:30 p.m.

Where: Erie Room, Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, 2300 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, PA 17110

Livestream: www.SenatorGeneYaw.com and www.Facebook.com/SenatorGeneYaw .

Contact: Katie Park, Communications Manager, Center for Rural Pennsylvania, (717) 787-9555, kpark@rural.pa.gov

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania's nearly 3.4 million rural residents.

Contact

Katie Park, Communications Manager
Center for Rural Pennsylvania
717.787.9555