Achievements

Project PA Hemp Home, a showcase for hemp construction materials, is under construction right in the middle of DON’s affordable, accessible housing revitalization area.  The project area recently received one of Pennsylvania’s two Elm Street designations.

DON is retrofitting a balloon-frame 1957 residential construction with hempcrete and HempWood™ flooring manufactured from hemp produced in our 2020 Test Acres Program.  This real life demonstration shows the market potential for locally produced industrial hemp in a “seed to structure” approach.  The project has been featured on Episode 2 of America By Design and WTAE Pittsburgh Channel 4’s Breaking News:

https://www.bydesignchannel.com/americabydesign/home#

https://www.wtae.com/article/hemp-house-history-lawrence-county-pennsylvania/36503048

https://www.wtae.com/article/national-hemp-tour-ends-journey-at-hemp-house-in-new-castle/37235144

The house is being designed by a Parsons School of Design architecture graduate student along with the co-directors of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab.

DON is driving the hemp construction materials market.  We were awarded a PA Dept. of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant for research and testing on hempcrete to support an application for its submission to the International Construction Code (ICC).

Our research partners:

 

   

Western PA Hemp Building Materials Workshop 2021

With funding from the PA Department of Agriculture, the workshop featured speakers from the US Hemp Building Association, tours of Project PA Hemp Home and a hands-on hempcrete workshop.

 

Western PA Hemp Fiber Education Series 2019

DON sponsored and organized a free regional summit for over 130 farmers and local officials to learn about growing hemp and to engage with market end-users.  PA Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer was the keynote speaker. 

Our Speaker’s Panel:

Cameron McIntosh, Principal, Americhanvre LLC

Ryan Dohm, Chief Development Officer, Groff N.A.

Joshua Hockman, COO, Green Bison Company

Shawn House, Owner and CEO, Lancaster Trading House

Mike McBride, DON Test Acres Program 1st Participating Farmer

Keynote Speaker:  Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer, PA Dept. of Agriculture

Project Western PA Hemp Fiber

A Hemp Test Acres Program established in 2019 providing financial support and education resources for regional farmers in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Awarded a PA Dept. of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Our Program Partners:

News about DON:

DON’s Project PA Hemp Home featured on Episode 2 of America By Design:

https://www.bydesignchannel.com/americabydesign/home#

National Hemp Tour Final Stop at Project PA Hemp Home

https://www.wtae.com/article/national-hemp-tour-ends-journey-at-hemp-house-in-new-castle/37235144

Historic Hemp House in New Castle PA

https://www.wtae.com/article/hemp-house-history-lawrence-county-pennsylvania/36503048

Celebrating Women in Hemp – Advocates & Educators Edition

https://nationalhempassociation.org/celebrating-women-in-hemp-advocates-educators-edition/

Hemp Today “Pennsylvania decortication initiative would serve 2 states”

https://hemptoday.net/pennsylvania-decortication-initiative-would-serve-2-states/

Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast “DON Services: Building a Future with Hemp”

https://www.lancasterfarming.com/community/podcasts_and_audio/don-services-building-a-future-with-hemp/article_c0c12a38-1ed3-11eb-9638-9fba138debee.html

Parsons School of Design Podcast Series “Trace Material”

https://healthymaterialslab.org/projects/season-1-episode-12

DON Enterprises awarded grant to promote hempcrete building material

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/don-enterprises-awarded-grant-to-promote-hempcrete-building-material/article_3d832602-eb99-11ea-8b02-b3a49b971974.html

Hartford farmer takes part in an area agricultural revival program

https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2020/08/hemp-harvest/

DON gets grant to help farmers grow industrial hemp

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/don-gets-grant-to-help-farmers-grow-industrial-hemp/article_56c2f180-eb4c-11ea-9e32-13eb16a00036.html

The Jacobsen Hemp Daily Report on DON’s Hemp Education Event

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?e=ed97198516&u=be68ae8311761291f24deef14&id=2c1846b476

DON forum shows multiple uses of hemp plant

https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/local_news/don-forum-shows-multiple-uses-of-hemp-plant/article_3ac56857-e52b-573b-a5d6-1909710c5e20.html

Hemp fiber summit to find farmer partners

http://www.butlereagle.com/article/20191101/BUSINESS01/711019952