Industrial Hemp Program
Missouri’s Industrial Hemp Law
The Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Program regulates the production and sales of viable industrial hemp in accordance with the federal and state law. The Program reviews applications for persons interested in producing, selling, distributing or offering for sale viable industrial hemp in Missouri. The Program cooperates with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, USDA and other state and federal agencies in the administration of the Missouri Industrial Hemp Law. The Program also administers the Certified Industrial Hemp Sampler program certifying persons for the collection of compliance sampling for laboratory analysis.
On Oct. 31, 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture published an Interim Final Rule, which established the federal regulatory framework for industrial hemp growth in the United States. The guidance from USDA further provided states the opportunity to operate without an approved state plan for one year as an extension. Missouri will operate under the extension and, as a result, will not submit an official state plan to USDA for the 2020 growing season. Missouri’s Industrial Hemp Program will operate under the authority granted by Missouri Senate Bill 133 and an extension of the 2014 Farm Bill. The full federal rule text is available from USDA’s website here and was open for public comment Nov. 1 – Jan. 29, 2020.
Industrial hemp may not be grown in Missouri and individuals may not possess seeds or propagules without an applicable Producer Registration and/or Agricultural Hemp Propagule and Seed Permit.
Emergency Rules
Please note in the attached documents all [bracketed and italicized] language is being deleted. All bold language is new.
Industrial Hemp Timeline
Dates are subject to change.
August 28, 2019
Senate Bill 133 went into effect
Sept. 30, 2019
Missouri filed proposed industrial hemp regulations
Oct. 31, 2019
USDA published Interim Final Rule
Nov. 1 – Dec. 1, 2019
Public comment period for Missouri’s proposed industrial hemp regulations
Nov. 1 – Jan. 29, 2020
Public comment period for USDA’s Interim Final Rule
Jan. 2, 2020
Missouri began accepting applications for review
By End of 2020
Anticipated changes to Missouri Industrial Hemp Program
Outreach Meetings
Missouri Industrial Hemp Program staff has presented at over thirty public events across the state since Fall 2019. There are no additional presentations scheduled at this time. The following link is a PDF document of the most recent presentation.