On July 8, the USDA filed a motion with the federal register. They requested permission to conduct a national hemp survey with over 20,000 farmers across the country. The federal agency wants to conduct an annual survey titled the “Hemp Acreage and Production Survey.”. Under this survey, the USDA would gather information on growing habits, preferred practices, daily and monthly costs, testing hindrances and more. 

Before the USDA can send out the survey to thousands, they are asking for public input. This input covers how to ask the questions, how to handle the data from the survey, and how best to conduct the overall process without getting in the way of farmers and producers too much. 

Survey

First, the “Hemp Acreage and Production Survey” will revolve around the definition of hemp established in 2018’s Farm Bill. 

“The term ‘hemp’ means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.”

Not only would hemp farmers receive a survey, but hemp businesses as well, from producers to retailers. “In determining the type of data that would need to be collected and the frequency of the data collections, [USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service] management attended a joint meeting with representatives from the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and the Office of the Secretary,” the USDA motion says.

The USDA motion refers to hemp as “a commodity that can be used for numerous industrial and horticultural purposes including: fabric, paper, construction materials, food products, cosmetics, production of cannabinoids (such as cannabidiol or CBD), and other products.” Gathering information will be complicated. Nonetheless, the USDA wants to get a survey into the hands of hemp farmers and businesses. 

Not the First

This isn’t the first time the USDA has requested to conduct a survey of hemp businesses and farms this year. In February, the USDA asked the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct a similar survey. Unfortunately, the White House didn’t follow up with a response to the USDA’s request. 

Connecticut became the latest state to legalize recreational cannabis. Alabama legalized medical cannabis, and Idaho became the last state to legalize hemp. This could be a better time for the USDA to file this motion and hopefully conduct the survey. Only time will tell. The USDA must wait for a response from the White House. However, they will continue to conduct research on hemp-based cosmetics they announced at the end of April. 

The USDA encourages and accepts public comments on the motion to the White House until August 16. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest. 

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.