Applications Open for Minnesota’s 2024 Industrial Hemp Program

Posted on December 5, 2023

Hemp plant. Image by herbalhemp from Pixabay.

Online applications are now open for anyone wishing to grow or process hemp in Minnesota in 2024. A license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is required for individuals and businesses.

Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2024, and a license is valid for the 2024 calendar year.

The application can be found on the MDA website: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/hemp. Along with the online form, first-time applicants and authorized representatives need to submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check. These licenses are for growing and processing industrial hemp only.

The hemp grower or processor application is not for the growth or sale of adult-use or medical cannabis. The application is also not intended for the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Adult-use cannabis information can be found on the Office of Cannabis Management website: https://cannabis.mn.gov.

Information related to medical cannabis and hemp-derived cannabinoid products can be found at the Minnesota Department of Health website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis.

Growers and processors need to be aware of the following for 2024:

All authorized representatives designated by the applicant must pass a criminal history background check prior to the issuance of a license.
Every lot of hemp grown requires pre-harvest THC regulatory testing. Each official regulatory sample collected by the MDA will cost $100.
The MDA licenses processors that handle raw hemp and initially process it by extraction, decortication, devitalization, crushing or packaging, and the department will continue random inspections of processor locations.
License fees will remain the same. The minimum cost of a grower license is $400. A processing license is a minimum of $500.
While the deadline to apply or renew is April 30, 2024, those actively growing hemp plants indoors past December 31, 2023, must renew their license before expiration at the end of the year.

Questions about the MDA’s Industrial Hemp Program should be sent to hemp.mda@state.mn.us or call 651-201-6600.

April 30 Application Deadline for Hemp Growers and Processors

Posted on April 18, 2022

Those wanting to grow and process hemp in Minnesota in 2022 must apply for a license with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) by April 30. To date, over 200 people have applied for an MDA license.

The online application for growers and processors can be found on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/industrialhemp. Along with the online form, first-time applicants need to submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.

This is the seventh year of the state’s Industrial Hemp Program. Last year, 425 people held licenses to grow or process hemp. Over 2,800 acres and 318,713 indoor square feet were planted in Minnesota.

There are several changes to the 2022 program. They include:

The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) testing fee per grower sample has been reduced from $125 to $100 each.
Previously, growers were not invoiced for the cost of the first sample; however, fees now will be charged for each sample collected.
The MDA will begin inspecting processor locations. This was not done in the past.
The processor license fee remains at $250, but each processing location will cost $250. Therefore, the minimum cost of a processing license will be $500.

The fee changes bring Minnesota into better alignment with other states and will help adequately fund the MDA’s Hemp Program.

Anyone growing on tribal lands within a reservation’s boundaries or other lands under tribal jurisdiction (e.g., trust lands off-reservation) must obtain a license from the tribe or the USDA if the tribe does not have an approved hemp production plan.

Questions about the MDA’s Hemp Program should be sent to hemp.mda@state.mn.us or 651-201-6600. Read MDA’s full press release on this topic here.

NWROC Crops & Soils Day

In-person tours will resume for the NWROC Crops & Soils Day in 2021! This year’s field day will be held Wednesday, July 21st and feature a morning small grains program and an afternoon sugarbeet program. The morning session registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. and tours beginning at 8:00 a.m. A complimentary lunch will be served at noon. The afternoon session registration begins at 12:15 p.m. with tours beginning at 12:45 p.m.