Montana, South Dakota and Oregon ranked as the top states in the nation in 2022 with the highest number of hemp acres planted and harvested. This is according to the second Hemp Acreage and Production survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The three states combined planted 8,400 acres of hemp, which accounts for roughly 30% of the national total (28,314 acres). They harvested 5,920 acres of hemp combined, which accounts for nearly a third of the national total (18,251 acres). Floral hemp led in acres planted at 7,105 acres, followed by fiber (6,850 acres), grain (5,379 acres) and seed (812) acres.
RELATED: Hemp Numbers Plummet Across the Board in 2022 USDA Acreage and Production Survey
The reported numbers for 2022 show a drastic decline across the board compared to 2021. In 2021, there was a reported total of 54,152 acres planted and 33,480 acres harvested, with floral hemp still leading in acres planted at 15,980, followed by fiber (12,690 acres), grain (8,255 acres) and seed (3,515).
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In 2021, Colorado and Montana topped both lists with the most acres of hemp planted and harvested. Colorado reported 10,100 acres planted and 3,100 acres harvested, and Montana recorded 7,900 acres planted and 4,500 acres harvested.
In 2022, Colorado ranked fifth for most acres planted but did not rank in the top 10 for most acres harvested, while Montana still ranked in the top three for both lists.
According to Brian Koontz, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) hemp program manager, the CDA's data for 2022 is slightly different from the USDA's survey data. The CDA recorded 1,100 acres planted and roughly 900 acres harvested, whereas the USDA's survey reports 1,600 acres planted and 480 acres harvested.
Koontz says the CDA's 2021 data matched the 2021 USDA survey and says the reported numbers may differ for 2022 due to some people not filling out or incorrectly filling out the USDA survey.
Despite the differing numbers, there is still a dramatic decline in the number of acres planted and harvested in Colorado for 2022 compared to 2021.
"The numbers have definitely dropped," he says. "In previous years, when everybody was really shooting for the moon, there were bigger acres and pivots, or crop circles, which are 140 acres a pop. Since there is now a higher uncertainty in the market and a higher risk, people are growing smaller acres. … I think it most likely has to do with the decline of the market."
Koontz says the CDA hopes to see those numbers start to trend upward and more farmers move toward fiber and grain. For 2022, according to CDA data, the reported intended acreage use was 71.9% for CBD, 10.9% for seed and 6.3% for fiber.
"It's the department's desire, and I think a lot of the hemp industry's desire is to see hemp fiber and the industrial side take off, and that requires big acreage," he says. "So, that's what we're hoping for. There's infrastructure being built … but there's still not enough farmers engaging to do it from what I've seen."
While the number of acres planted and harvested for 2022 was significantly lower compared to 2021, the national average of hemp planted and then harvested was higher at 64%, compared to 62% in 2021.
South Dakota, Oregon and Missouri all harvested more than the national average in 2022, with South Dakota at 91%, Oregon at 90%, and Missouri at 74%, while Montana, which ranked in the top four on both lists, harvested less than the national average at 42%.
Compared to 2021, 2022's percentages show a better harvest rate for growers, whereas in 2021, four of the top 10 states with the most planted hemp—Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas—harvested less than the national average.
South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin were the only states with an increase in acres planted and harvested in 2022, with South Dakota seeing the highest growth.
Brian Walsh, public affairs director at the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources said in an email that the state has worked hard to establish a safe and responsible hemp program for producers and that farmer’s focus has been on fiber and grain.
“South Dakota farmers who grow corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa, and sunflowers see the value in fiber and grain hemp production and are adding it into their crop rotations. We have seen very little interest in cannabinoid hemp,” he said. “In addition, South Dakota has a small but dedicated group of hemp processors and seedmen who are serious about growing the industry. Their efforts conducting grower meetings and working with farmers to contract acres throughout the state are helping to increase our industrial hemp acres. As we move into the 2023 growing season, we look forward to continued growth of South Dakota’s industrial hemp industry.”
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