US finalizing rule to allow farmers to legally grow hemp

DES MOINES, Iowa — U.S. agriculture officials said Tuesday a rule that allows farmers to legally grow hemp will be finalized this week, a move that many states have awaited for months so they can begin widespread hemp production.

The rule is set to be published Thursday and effective immediately. It establishes requirements for licensing, maintaining records on the land where hemp will be grown, testing the levels of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana that causes a high — and disposing plants that don’t meet the requirements.

Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants but have different levels of THC. Industrial hemp can be used in food, fiber, paper, beauty products and other products, and the industry estimates it could grow nationally to be a $1.9 billion market by 2022.

Jumping into hemp growing may not be a simple task for traditional farmers.

Minnesota hemp farmer David Connor said growing 26 acres of hemp this year was labor intensive with planting, harvesting and drying all done by hand. New equipment is coming out that will ease some of the manual labor, he said, but it’s not as easy as growing row crops like corn and soybeans.

All states but South Dakota, Idaho and Mississippi have passed laws to establish hemp production programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The interim rule ends in two years, at which time the USDA will release a final rule. The USDA can change it if necessary to make the program run efficiently.