North Carolina Hemp Growers Now Licensed Through USDA
You should not have any hemp growing, in the field, greenhouse, or grow-room, at this time unless you have a USDA hemp production license. You may still have hemp in your possession that you grew in 2021 or earlier under your North Carolina-issued license. That is fine, although I suggest you keep a copy of your 2021 North Carolina hemp growers license on hand in case there is any question about it. But if you had hemp growing in the greenhouse or grow-room in December 2021 and it is still growing there now, you should have a USDA hemp production license.
Many North Carolina hemp growers who applied to the USDA hemp program last year after they learned that the North Carolina program was ending, received their licenses this week.
The requirements for the USDA hemp production license are a little different than they were for the North Carolina hemp license, including the need for a FBI Identity History Summary (criminal background check) and fingerprinting. In addition, growers will have to select and pay for a USDA-certified sampling agent to collect their compliance samples. Growers will also select the lab for those samples to be sent to and pay for the lab testing. There is, however, no fee for the license itself. The grower must also register with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office and report their acreage each year.