Crop Insurance for Industrial Hemp
Crop Insurance for Industrial HempThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released guidelines for processing federal loans for the hemp industry.
Since hemp was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, it is now considered an agricultural commodity like any other crop, and USDA has taken several steps to sync the market with its various programs and services. And the department’s new memo to state and county offices provides clarity on how to process direct or guaranteed loan applications for hemp producers.
The seven-page document, which was released last month, describes the various requirements a hemp business must satisfy in order to access USDA’s lending services. Chief among those requirements is for a prospective borrower to be licensed under a USDA-approved state or tribal hemp program, or under USDA’s basic regulations if the jurisdiction the business operates in has not submitted its own rules.