It’s no April Fools’ Day joke. Starting April 1, Iowa farmers can apply for a license to grow hemp.
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill to allow Iowa farmers to legally grow up to 40 acres of industrial hemp into law in May 2019. That plan had to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval, which it did in late March 2020.
“We know farmers are eager for new opportunities, and this milestone means they are one step closer to being able to grow hemp during the 2020 growing season,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig in a news release.
Residents in The Hawkeye 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. That announcement is slated for April 8.
A public hearing to solicit comments on the state plan, originally scheduled for 9 – 10 a.m. CT on April 3, will be hosted via teleconference. Interested parties can join in at 866-685-1580 and entering code 0009990941#.
More information about applying for a hemp license and a permit to sell hemp seed is available at https://iowaagriculture.gov/hemp
