Sid Miller: Wichita Falls plant will catapult Texas to top of industrial hemp production

Many of Panda Biotech’s top workers and executives joined local leaders and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller to celebrate the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of a new 500,000-square-foot hemp processing plant in Wichita Falls. 

Miller said the single plant will also put the Lone Star State at the top of the country for industrial hemp production.

The plant puts Wichita Falls at the top of the list for industrial hemp production in North and South America, and it is the second-largest industrial hemp production facility in the world.

“Texas will be a leader, the leader in the Americas as far as hemp production,” Miller said. “We’ll be number one because of this one plant.”

Panda Biotech President Dixie Carter said the company chose Wichita Falls because of a good facility and family ties.

“We have a ranch, for more than 20 years, down the road in Seymour,” Carter said. “We spent so much time in Wichita Falls. This city, this region, it means so much to my family personally.”

The combination of a great building that just needed to be brought back to life and the city made the plant’s location an easy decision, she said.

Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce President Ron Kitchens said Wichita Falls is now home to an industry leader in industrial hemp production.

“It means creating an entire new industry here. And not just a new industry for Texas. This is the largest facility in all of the Americas,” Kitchens said.

The plant began production in recent months and will eventually conclude staffing with longterm hires. 

Kitchens said the plant will receive financial gains for creating local jobs.

“It’s just about how many jobs they produce over a year, and they get an incentive based on job creation,” Kitchens said.

The facility is already fully operational and is expected to be at full capacity for staffing and production by early 2025.

“Right now we are 100% operational and running every single bit of fiber we can get our hands on,” Carter said.

Miller said he anticipates more industrial hemp production to follow in Panda’s footsteps.

“I think the demand will continue to grow. With this plant opening, I expect more plants to open around the state, so this is a great day for Texas farmers,” he said. 

Although initial plans for the plant called for a 2021 opening date, the pandemic pushed things back. 

Kitchens said finally getting the equipment needed from Europe, where hemp processing is an established industry, has allowed Panda to prepare for the future.

“We don’t do this in the United States, so the equipment was all manufactured in Europe,” Kitchens said. “COVID killed it, we’re now on track. The past no longer matters. It’s all about always going forward.”

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