
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the results of its first-ever Hemp Acreage and Production Survey last week.
The results revealed not only nationwide data, but also the top hemp-producing states in the U.S. Colorado and Montana topped the lists for the most acres of hemp planted and harvested in each state. According to the survey, producers in the two states combined planted 18,000 acres of hemp—a third (33%) of the national total—and harvested 7,600 acres of hemp, which was 22% of the national total.
The survey reported a total of 54,152 acres planted and 33,480 acres harvested across the country in 2021. Floral hemp, or hemp flower, led in acres planted at 15,980, followed by fiber (12,960 acres) and grain (8,255 acres). However, fiber hemp yielded the most product, totaling 33.2 million pounds.
RELATED: USDA Releases Hemp Acreage and Production Survey Results: 54,152 Acres Planted in 2021
The top 10 states that planted the most acres of hemp in 2021 were:
Colorado - 10,100
Montana - 7,900
Oklahoma and Texas (tied) - 2,800
California and Minnesota (tied) - 2,650
Utah - 2,500
North Carolina - 2,150
Oregon - 2,100
South Dakota - 1,850
Kentucky - 1,700
Missouri - 1,400
Michigan - 1,200

Montana - 4,500
Colorado - 3,100
Minnesota - 2,300
California - 2,250
Utah - 2,150
North Carolina – 1,850
Oregon – 1,850
South Dakota – 1,700
Kentucky – 1,500
Missouri – 1,150

A Tough Harvest
While growers in some states grew and harvested a large amount of hemp, the percentage of hemp they harvested tells a different story.
The national average of hemp that was planted and then harvested was about 71%. Four of the top 10 states with the most planted hemp—Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas—harvested less than the national average.
The survey results showed a tough harvest for others in the country too, with 17 states reporting a total harvest percentage lower than the national average.
READ MORE: 2021 Hemp Cultivation Data
Colorado growers harvested about 31% of the total acres planted last year. Colorado Department of Agriculture Hemp Program Manager Brian Koontz says those numbers can be mainly attributed to one farm that lost 5,000-6,000 crop acres from the water drought last year.
“There is one producer specifically in southeast Colorado that had several very large registrations that were over 1,000 acres each that failed because of the water drought,” he says. “Because of that one producer and those several farms they had, that had [a] very large [number of acres fail], that’s what really created a big gap between what was planted and what was harvested.
“In that case, it was inspected, and there was very little germination. There wasn’t really anything to harvest, and what did germinate died,” he adds.
Oklahoma also had a low harvest percentage in 2021, reporting only a 9% harvest rate. Caroline Nelson, hemp and apiary program administrator at Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, said in an email that the state’s unpleasant weather conditions played a role in that number.
“Oklahoma has harsh weather and soil conditions that may cause stressful conditions for agricultural crops. We also lost acres due to pests, mostly insects,” she said. “Many fields did not grow to maturity and were disposed of according to USDA and Oklahoma regulations.”
Nelson also noted that Oklahoma saw a decline in the number of growers last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, she said the ODA is hopeful to see the number of growers and processors increase in 2022.
Growing Interest in Fiber and Grain
Geoff Whaling, chairman of the National Hemp Association (NHA), told Hemp Grower the NHA is seeing more interest from growers in the fiber and grain industry, specifically noting Montana and Colorado as two states working hard to progress those hemp sectors.
“We hear from manufacturers all over the country seeking domestic sources of commercially viable hemp fiber and grain,” Whaling said. “Yet, without processing facilities—which will require years of significant investment—the journey toward scale will be a slow one. Fortunately, a handful of steadfast entrepreneurs are working to speed up the scale hemp needs to unlock its immense potential.”
Andy Gray, Montana Department of Agriculture hemp program coordinator, also voiced his hope for the fiber and grain industries in Montana this year.
“The trend in Montana has definitely been away from CBD … and has definitely been moving more towards grain and fiber. I think that trend is going to continue hopefully for years,” Gray says, adding that IND HEMP’s new hemp fiber processing facility in Fort Benton will help make that possible.
RELATED: IND HEMP Expands Montana Footprint With Launch of Industrial Hemp Fiber Processing Plant
Katy Mutschler, Minnesota Department of Agriculture hemp program coordinator, said in an email that hemp grown for CBD continues to be the highest trend in Minnesota, followed by grain.
“CBD production continues to have the highest amount of acreage planted at 52%, followed by grain at 32%. Approximately 5% of the hemp lots were destroyed due to drought or disease conditions,” she said.
But looking ahead, Mutschler said Minnesota is looking forward to finding more end uses for fiber.
“The Minnesota Department of Agriculture Hemp Program is looking forward to continuing working with the industry to promote hemp production,” she said. “We are excited to find more end uses for hemp fiber through the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Erosion Control Research and Development Project.”
Koontz says about 60-70% of the hemp planted in Colorado is for CBD extraction; however, he says the hemp department is looking forward to more development in the fiber area, adding that state Governor Jared Polis requested more than $5 million in funding to be put toward Colorado hemp decortication this year.
Koontz says one of the hemp department’s goals is to also support research and development. “We did finally launch our USDA hemp plan in January, and some of the most exciting things about that [is we] are now allowing private companies to have research and development registrations, whereas before, it was limited to institutions of learning or universities in Colorado,” he says, adding that the state has already approved some registrations for private companies.