To make growing hemp more accessible, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture has recommended that hemp be classified in two distinct ways.

In an agreed-upon upcoming amendment to the organizational policy of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, NASDA members are requesting that hemp can either be categorized as an agronomic commodity or a specialty crop.

This new difference in classification would increase farmer’s access to specialty grants that provide valuable resources as the hemp industry continues to take off.

Additionally, after receiving permission from the White House last month, the USDA announced that they would be moving forward with a new large-scale study to increase further knowledge surrounding the hemp industry. This study is being conducted in partnership with the University of Kentucky and will seek to reach over 20,000 hemp farmers across the United States.

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