Colorado Hemp
Colorado continues to negotiate with the USDA about the state’s Hemp Plan.
The state’s original proposal to federal regulators was rejected by the USDA. Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg says that wasn’t a surprise.
The state’s first plan rejected a requirement of 100% sampling for THC levels and a 15-day harvest window to do sampling. And Greenberg says the requirement to test only in DEA certified labs was also a non-starter for Colorado which had its own hemp regulations in place prior to the crop’s legalization nationwide.
In the meantime, because of a congressional budget resolution, the state continues to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill. Greenberg says the focus is on new markets.
GREENBERG: “Right after the 2018 Farm Bill was signed, it opened up the floodgates and a lot of folks were really driving into the CBD market. The prices there even within 2019 didn’t stay at the peak for very long. We’re really interested in what other market places we might be able to open up for sustainable market access for producers. So we’re looking at hemp fiber, hemp plastic, hempcrete, and beyond. It’s something that we’re really starting to dig into and have a lot of good conversations and collaborations going on with folks really innovating in that space.”
Greenberg says the state Hemp Advisory committee is now meeting quarterly. The final state plan is now expected to be approved and implemented sometime in mid-2021.
