This week, several states took significant steps in their hemp programs, most notably South Dakota, which finally legalized the crop. Meanwhile, Hemp Grower spoke with experts about what the federal government’s recently signed stimulus package, formed to ease economic fallout from the spread of COVID-19, will mean for the hemp industry.
Here are this week’s top headlines you might have missed.
National: The federal government recently approved several pieces of legislation in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Hemp Grower has put together a guide for hemp farmers and businesses on whether they’re eligible for funding and how to tap into it. Read more
Colorado: EcoGen has announced a buyback program for farmers who’ve planted the company’s seed and who may end up at harvest without a buyer for all of their biomass. EcoGen is extending an opportunity to sell otherwise unclaimed biomass back to the company for extraction purposes. Read more
Georgia: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently approved the state’s hemp plan, kicking off the first official year for commercial hemp growth in the state. Read more
Iowa: Hemp license applications opened in the state April 1. Farmers in the state must wait to grow, possess, buy or sell hemp until they have received a license from the ag department and official notice is posted in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin, which is slated for April 8. Read more
Ohio: Scientists at North Coast Analytical Laboratories are calling for stringent microbial testing regulations for all cannabis, including hemp, especially as the country faces increasingly overcrowded healthcare facilities. Read more
South Dakota: Once just one of three states where hemp cultivation was illegal, South Dakota has finally legalized its cultivation and production. Producers must wait to grow hemp until the state’s plan has been approved by the USDA, which could happen as late as June. Read more
