Do I need a license to grow hemp?
Yes. Federal legality is not a license in your name. Keep the lot records the HFGA textile standard asks for.
Do I need a license to grow hemp?
Yes. Industrial hemp is federally legal, and your state or county still licenses the grower. The HFGA textile standard expects a USDA-approved state or tribal plan, or a USDA producer license under 7 CFR Part 990, plus records for the lot and a THC test at or under 0.3 percent.
Related reading
Related reading
How do I grow hemp for fiber and grain?A grower's guide to hemp seed, genetics, planting, allowed chemicals, and harvest. rechem supplies the seed and the chemicals. Heartland can buy the crop.
Federal legality is not the same as a license in your name. The Hemp Fiber and Grain Association says to read the state and county rules. Their textile standard will not grade fiber unless it was grown under a USDA-approved state or tribal hemp production plan, or a USDA hemp producer license under 7 CFR Part 990. Get that in place before the seed goes in. rechem selling you seed does not replace it.
The season those records belong to is How do I grow hemp for fiber and grain?.
The test
The one that decides whether the crop is still hemp: total delta-9 THC at or under 0.3 percent dry weight. Under the HFGA textile standard, a DEA-registered lab runs that test on a sample taken within 30 days before harvest. The same standard also tests the delivered fiber for pesticides, heavy metals, PFAS, and process chemicals, and it does not allow chlorinated bleach or pre-harvest desiccants.
Planting certified seed, and reporting it to the state program, is how HFGA says many states cut the cannabinoid testing back. The seed note is How do I get hemp seed?.
The file
The lot has to be traceable. The HFGA textile standard asks for the producer license number, the parcel, the variety, the seed lot, the planting date, the harvest date, and the pre-harvest cannabinoid report. Keep the bag tags from rechem. If a buyer or a state inspector asks what went on the field in the last twelve months, the chemical rules are in What chemicals are allowed on hemp?. "We think it was fine" is not a record.
FAQ
Quick answers about this part of the approach.
Is hemp legal without a license?
Federal legality is not a license in your name. Read the state and county rules before the seed goes in. rechem selling you seed does not replace that.
What THC test does the crop have to pass?
Total delta-9 THC at or under 0.3 percent dry weight. Under the HFGA textile standard, a DEA-registered lab tests a sample taken within 30 days before harvest.
What records do I keep?
The producer license number, the parcel, the variety, the seed lot, the planting date, the harvest date, and the pre-harvest cannabinoid report. Keep the bag tags from rechem.
Does certified seed change the testing?
HFGA says planting certified seed, and reporting it to the state program, is how many states cut the cannabinoid testing back.
What else does the textile standard test?
The delivered fiber, for pesticides, heavy metals, PFAS, and process chemicals. It does not allow chlorinated bleach or pre-harvest desiccants.