Wisconsin has become the first state to adopt hemp expansion after seeing how federal agriculture regulators want to manage the new crop.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law directing the state’s agriculture department to mirror production guidelines released in October by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new Wisconsin hemp law:
- Charges farmers $5 per acre to grow hemp, with license fees capped at $1,000.
- Does not require any particular THC testing or sampling method.
- Requires state agriculture officials to create a seed-certification plan.
- Bans drug felons from growing hemp for 10 years.
- Requires anyone buying hemp biomass under contract to pay the farmer within seven days of taking possession of the hemp.
In 2019, Wisconsin issued 1,308 licenses to grow hemp and 618 licenses to process it.
– Associated Press and Hemp Industry Daily
