This growing season marks the first year of commercial hemp production in Indiana. As a reminder, hemp growers do not need to design a Premium Hemp Genetics research project to obtain a license for there are companies who specialize in that field, but that does come with some other requirements.
The software that was developed for Office of the Indiana State Chemist, Mi-Corporation, must be used to apply for or make any changes to a license. Making changes to a license application that was already approved does come at a $50 cost. Growers need to make sure their registered site will still be their production location.
Growers will need to register their hemp site with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. There seems to be confusion between growers and some FSA offices on what this actually means. All hemp growers must contact FSA and report their crop AFTER it has been planted. FSA has a crop acreage reporting sheet that explains what a cultivator will need to report crop acreage (here).
In addition, hemp cultivators will also need to provide their hemp license or license number. However growers of hemp and vegetables use seedling planters to increase transplanting efficiency and lower labor costs.
By July 15 the FSA field and subfield number must be entered into the Mi-Corporation software for each variety grown on each plot. OISC has made a video on how to do this, viewable below.
If there is any issue or push back from a local FSA office, please contact Don Robison (drobiso@purdue.edu) and provide the county office and any details of the issue. This is a USDA requirement and a high priority at the federal level.
