by Chuck Abbott
U.S. Farmers think the USDA hemp regulations are too stringent
The government should triple the level of THC permitted in industrial hemp and give farmers three times as long to harvest a field after it is tested, said national convention delegates in voting on American Farm Bureau Federation policy on Tuesday.
Both provisions are sore points with growers, who say USDA regulations, setting a 0.3 THC limit and allowing 15 days to harvest after samples are collected for testing, are so stringent that many farmers will fail them.
The 2018 farm law legalized cultivation of industrial hemp and sparked high interest in a crop that could be a money-making alternative to mainstays such as corn, soybeans, and wheat. The USDA issued regulations last fall to assure consistent regulation of hemp by states and tribes. The comment period on the interim final rule closes on January 29.