Wisconsin Ag Department Postpones Plans to Transition to New State Hemp Plan
Sunday, October 18th, 2020 -- 7:49 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture has postponed its plans to transition to the new Wisconsin State Hemp Plan, and will instead continue to administer the Wisconsin Hemp Pilot Research Program for another year.State Agriculture Secretary Randy Romanski says the decision was made after federal action extended the authority of states to operate hemp pilot research programs until September 30, 2021. "We're doing this to fulfill our obligation under state law," Romanski told agriculture reporters on Thursday. "We've been communicating with the hemp industry and our federal partners and we believe this is the right step to take."
As a result, DATCP will begin the process of extending the current hemp program operated under the authority of the 2014 Farm Bill to September 30, 2021, rather than ending it at the end of this month. Romanski says the conversion will be free and done automatically without any action necessary by licensees. The hemp pilot program was approved in December 2017, which legalized the plant as an agricultural commodity for the first time in over six decades.
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