| As the harvest season winds down, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division, Plant Health Section has a few updates to share: Grower inspections MDARD staff are completing 2023 grower inspections. You may be contacted for an inspection regardless of whether your crop has been harvested or not. To find out more about what information is reviewed during these inspections, see the self-audit checklist. Annual reporting requirement Just like last year, we are assisting growers with this reporting requirement by having inspectors contact you directly. Inspectors have already contacted growers who requested preharvest sampling this year to collect required data, including acreage or square footage of hemp planted, harvested, disposed of due to THC or other reasons, and intended use. For registered growers who did not request preharvest sampling, inspectors will contact you by November 30 to collect this information. Reporting is mandatory for registered growers even if no planting occurred. Hemp grower registration renewal Your current grower registration expires January 31, 2024. MDARD reviews the hemp program on an annual basis to determine what agency can best serve the hemp growers of Michigan. More information will be coming soon. Grower Registration vs. Processor License We are often asked about which type of license is required for different steps in the growing, processing, and sale of hemp and hemp products. Find this document under www.Michigan.gov/HempLaws under the Compliance Assistance Documents heading, along with many helpful documents breaking down hemp law requirements. New FSA Hemp Crop Acreage Reporting Course This course is an intra-agency effort between Domestic Hemp Production Program (DHPP) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) focused on the federal and state requirement of hemp crop acreage reporting. The course is designed to provide hemp growers and other stakeholders with an understanding of the importance of crop acreage reporting requirements. For more information regarding this free course and how to sign up, follow this link. USDA’s Lookup Tool A reminder, anyone can look up people or businesses licensed to cultivate hemp nationwide. The USDA refers to these as “licensed producers” while MDARD calls them “registered hemp growers.” States and tribes are required to report licensee information to USDA, and that information is used to populate their database. In addition, it also includes producers USDA licenses directly in the states where the federal agency manages the hemp cultivation program. This is a great tool for making connections to help build better supply chains for the industry, nationwide. Search the list here: hemp.ams.usda.gov/s/PublicSearchTool. Additional information If you have questions, please contact Michigan’s hemp program at MDARD-IndustrialHemp@Michigan.gov.. Learn More |
