MONTPELIER — The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets’ (VAAFM) Hemp Program received approval from the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the Vermont Domestic Hemp Production plan.
The state announced its USDA clearance Monday, meaning the 2022 growing season will be the first under 2018 Farm Bill rules, which include total THC testing for most hemp plants.
Vermont exempts hemp’s fiber and grain varieties from pre-harvest THC testing as long as state agriculture officials “comprehensively inspect to confirm their use.” The state estimates that less than 10% of its 2021 hemp harvest was grown for fiber, hurd or grain.
Find the full Vermont Hemp Production Plan below.
“The Agency thanks USDA for its support as Vermont developed its production plan in compliance with USDA’s final rule. This will be the first year Vermont will be operating under the 2018 Farm Bill authorization and a new federally approved state plan,” said Stephanie Smith, Vermont’s Hemp Program manager. “The Vermont Hemp Program looks forward to another year working with growers and processors.”
For registration year 2021, there were 440 hemp program participants.
Some changes expected for 2022 include:
- The acceptable hemp delta-9-THC level of 0.3 percent or less, as measured on a dry weight basis. Total delta-9-THC includes the potential conversion of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid into THC.
- Vermont plans to allow hemp farmers with “hot” crops to avoid destroying them if they:
- Dispose of flowers and leaves, retaining only stalks, or
- Chip the entire plant into biomass for extraction or other commercial purposes.
- The remediation would have to be done with an agency of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets on site.
- Opportunities for performance-based sampling for fiber, grain, nursery stock, and crops grown for research purposes.
All grower registrants should be aware of and thinking about all programmatic changes required by the 2018 Farm Bill, USDA’s final rule, and as reflected in Vermont Domestic Hemp Production plan, and how it may impact their operations.
Find the full Vermont Hemp Production Plan below.
For more information on hemp regulation in Vermont, please contact:
- Stephanie Smith, [email protected];
- Michael DiTomasso, [email protected];
