Minnesota is also going to continue their hemp pilot program in 2020. The state did not submit a hemp plan to the USDA. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, there were some components of the new hemp rule they wouldn’t be able to implement. One component is THC testing at harvest. Minnesota Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place said the current state program allows for 30 days to test. The new rule requires states to test fields with 15 days of hemp harvest. “If you think about it, for us to get out to your farm, pull a sample and send it to the lab, it takes about one week,” said Place. “Fifteen days is cutting it pretty tight, especially in years like we just had where harvest was very wet and there was lots of coordination that needed to be done outside of the realm of testing.” Minnesota is negotiating with the USDA on a more workable plan. “We want to make sure we are in compliance with federal law and we can actually enforce or make the program work for our farmers.” Place said the state plans to submit a hemp plan to the USDA later this year.
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