Vermont Agency of Agriculture finalizes hemp rules
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has finalized rules for growing hemp for the current growing season.
The rules set standards for record-keeping, reporting, testing, and labeling. They also include provisions for disposal of non-compliant crops and products, and inspections and enforcement.
The rules are designed to protect public health, safety, and welfare, and to support the Vermont brand and production of quality agricultural products.
“The process of educating hemp registrants on how the rules apply to their operations is just beginning, and the Agency looks forward to this next phase,” Cary Giguere, the agency’s director of Public Health and Agriculture Resource Management, said in a written statement.
A young Sunsoil CBD hemp plant at their Hardwick greenhouse in May 2019. (Photo: Sunsoil / Ivar Bastress)
To date, the agency has issued 347 combined hemp grower and processor registrations, with 1,115 acres for the 2020 growing season.
During the 2019 hemp season, the Agency received over 986 hemp grower registrations on 9,100 acres, and 292 processor registrations.
Reasons for the smaller number this year could include a grower registration fee increase in 2020, which is now based on the number of acres a person registers, the department said. In 2019 the fee was a flat $25 to register regardless of the number of acres registered.
