US Senator Gardner Applauds Creation of USDA Hemp Production Program
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) applauded the announcement today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is establishing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program and creating a regulatory framework around hemp production in the United States.
“I applaud the USDA for moving forward on hemp rulemaking and recognizing hemp production as an agricultural activity,” said Senator Gardner. “On my annual farm tour this summer, I visited a hemp processing plant that is bringing dozens of jobs and millions of dollars of investments to rural Colorado. Legalized hemp has the potential to be a major boon to agricultural communities across Colorado, giving farmers another viable and profitable option for their fields. I look forward to the interim final rule being published in the Federal Register.”
According to the USDA, an interim final rule formalizing the program will be published in the Federal Register later this week that will allow hemp to be grown under federally-approved plans and make hemp producers eligible for a number of agricultural programs. The interim final rule becomes effective upon publication in the Federal Register. A preview of the rule is available here.
Once state and tribal plans are in place, hemp producers will be eligible for a number of USDA programs, including insurance coverage through Whole-Farm Revenue Protection. For information on available programs, visit www.farmers.gov/hemp.
Background:
- Gardner’s bipartisan Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act removes industrial hemp from the list of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
- In December 2018, Gardner secured the HEMP Farming provision in the 2018 Farm Bill, to remove industrial hemp from the Controlled Substances Act
- In April 2018, Gardner cosponsored the bipartisan Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which would legalize hemp, clearly definite it as an agricultural commodity, and remove it from the list of controlled substances.
Cory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy