The hemp program plan of New York state has been approved by the USDA. Starting 2022, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Market will be able to issue the hemp grower license. As of now, the department is accepting applications for the hemp program from producers.
The state has associated with producers to grow hemp in about 30000 acres ever since the launch of the pilot program. With the new regulatory approval from USDA, the producers will be able to grow hemp with a lot of stability in the long run. This is an excellent way to get into new markets so that producers can work with a diverse range of crops in the future.
Producers in New York who already have licenses should apply again as per the new guidelines. The new guidelines for producers include various requirements for testing apart from sampling. Other than that, the producers should also comply with the identity history summary check of the FBI.
Once the required documents are submitted along with the application for producer license, the department will look at all the details and process the application. It is important to note that the verification of identity should be done recently, and it should not be older than 60 days.
The state government considers growing industrial hemp as a good option to create jobs and improve profitability for the farming community. The statewide program for growing hemp was permitted in 2015. It has come a long way since then, as several researchers and businesses have shown interest in developing the industry in a big way. Many academics have worked hard to develop the industry in the past few years.
As per the latest numbers available from official sources, the number of registered producers is more than 800, and hemp is being cultivated in nearly 30000 across the state.