A Closer Look at NJC’s Upcoming Hemp Conference with Andy Bartlett, Associate Professor of Soils/Agronomy…
The BARN – Briggsdale, CO – November 13, 2019 – Industrial hemp in the United States went from a legal crop in the 18th and 19th centuries, to a banned substance in the 20th century, and has since returned as a legal crop in the 21st century. Just this year, the United States became the world’s third largest producer of hemp, behind China and Canada. And back on Oct 30th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was establishing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program and creating a regulatory framework around hemp production in the United States. According to the USDA, an interim final rule formalizing the program was published in the Federal Register which would allow hemp to be grown under federally-approved plans and make hemp producers eligible for a number of agricultural programs.
Now in advance of detailed federal hemp guidelines, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) launched the Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan (CHAMP) earlier this year. The broad, collaborative stakeholder-based initiative is designed to outline best practices and define a well structured supply chain for hemp in order to establish a strong market for the state’s farming communities. By the way, to date, there have been 14 CHAMP stakeholder meetings hosted by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, as well as three public input meetings across the state. In Colorado, more than 88,000 acres are currently registered to grow industrial hemp, although not all of those acres are planted with hemp, and CDA has issued 2,634 hemp registrations as of October 29, 2019.
The interim final rule goes into effect immediately. USDA has 60 days to approve Colorado’s plan after it is submitted. Anyone can view the rule online at https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp . Keep in mind, 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.
To help producers learn more about the newly “popular” industrial hemp crop and its popularity, Northeastern Junior College and the Colorado Small Business Development Center is hosting Hemp Conference in Sterling, CO on December 17th. Joining the Colorado Ag News Network and FarmCast Radio to discuss that event in much more detail is Andy Bartlett, Associate Professor of Soils/Agronomy at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling…
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