The nation’s oldest historically black university is looking to the future, and it’s filled with hemp.

Cheyney University in southeast Pennsylvania will have 10 acres of hemp on commonwealth-owned fields and a 10,000-square-foot processing facility in an existing university building.

The university is partnering with cannabidiol (CBD) processing lab Advanced Alchemy Labs, the founders of which sell hemp-based products under the label BodyChek Wellness.

“This is a very significant transaction for Cheyney as we continue to form partnerships with forward-looking companies to operate on our campus,” said Cheyney University President Aaron A. Walton in the Daily Local News.

Advanced Alchemy Labs will work with farmers near the university and at nine other locations in Pennsylvania.

“This is great for local hemp farmers because they now know they can grow with the knowledge of who’s going to buy the crop from them,” Managing Partner Britt Mazzagatti told the outlet. “They also know that as long as they’re growing at the standards in our agreements, we’ll buy the product and take care of the rest.”

The new facility will allow the West Chester-based company to extract, process, formulate and conduct research and development at its new facility. The company has also applied for the facility to be its global distributor.

As part of the agreement, students will be able to intern and receive training on hemp cultivation, extraction and processing, which will create an educated talent pool for the company to draw from as it grows.

Nicole Stempak, Hemp Grower