USDA releases hemp production rule

USDA releases hemp production rule

Southwest Farm Press
By Janet Kubat Willette

The Interim Final Rule for Hemp Production will be published in the Federal Register on Oct. 31. The rule goes into effect on that day, but public comments will be accepted for 60 days until Dec. 30. USDA will use the 2020 growing season to ‘test drive’ the interim final rule, said Greg Ibach, USDA’s Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. The interim rule will sunset in two years, he said. Key provisions of the rule include:

Licensing requirements,
Provisions for tracking the land where hemp is grown,
Procedures for testing THC concentration levels for hemp,
Procedures for disposing of plants that exceed the .3 THC concentration level, and
Procedures for handling violations.
The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule I controlled substance designation, expanding opportunities that were granted in the 2014 Farm Bill.