CDA Launches Program to Develop Industrial Hemp Certified Seed.

The first certified hemp seed program in the country as well as the first-of-its-kind study in Colorado is the Colorado Department of Agriculture's new program aimed at bringing industrial hemp into mainstream agriculture. CDA's Division of Plant Industry Assistant Director Duane Sinning says

Sinning: "Offer farmers the same thing that they have if they are buying corn, wheat or other products. That is really a certification program so that when a producer buys something, he knows what he is buying. He knows that it has been produced in a certain way and in this case, that the variety he is buying is also going to meet the THC threshold that he has to be under."

CDA will work in corporation with Colorado State University and the Colorado Seed Growers Association to provide breeding company the opportunity to verify their seeds produce mature plants at or below the .3 percent TCH threshold required to label the plant as industrial hemp. Besides ensuring the integrity and purity of the seeds, the program also certifies the seeds are free of pests and weeds. Sinning adds that farmers need to be aware

Sinning: "This is an emerging industry — it is certainly not for everybody. There is still bumps in the road to be had. Look at this not as your sole agricultural crop but maybe as part of a mix — if you so choose. It is just another agricultural crop as we look at it."