Colorado Ag Commissioner - Hemp Plan

Colorado Ag Commissioner - Hemp Plan

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

The state’s Agriculture Commissioner says her agency is working with state lawmakers on ways to better align established state hemp rules with the federal regulations on industrial hemp.

The USDA’s Interim Final Rule for Hemp was a let down for hemp producers in Colorado.

Greenberg: “We’re not happy with what USDA brought down. It would take us back many steps from what we’ve built over the last five years. We have a lot of folks that we’re bringing on board to try to steer the ship as much as we can to maintain our leadership. “

Ag Commission Kate Greenberg told a recent meeting of the Colorado Water Conservation Board that the Department of Agriculture plans to submit a new hemp plan to the USDA in the coming weeks. But, the state ag department had already implemented its own plan long before hemp was legalized.

The state is responding to the new federal hemp rule that would make Colorado hemp farmers use tighter testing requirements for THC levels. They would also have less opportunity to mitigate plants that test above the federal government's maximum allowable level of THC in industrial hemp. There is a smaller window of allowability under the federal rules.

Previous ReportAgriculture Commissioner Updates Water Conservation Board
Next ReportUSMCA Signed