By: Sam T. Jensen — [email protected]
Des Moines, Iowa — Industrial hemp production may soon be legal in the state of Iowa.
Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA) signed the bill this week but Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says there is still work to be done.
Naig says Iowa needs to “apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and seek approval from them to have a state program.” Likely, there won’t be any hemp grown legally on Iowa farms until 2020. He says that gives producers more time to research hemp as a viable crop.
Just like any new crop, Naig says, farmers should “take the time [to] understand and learn [about hemp] and be ready to take the field in 2020.”
The new law does not legalize recreational use of marijuana, and does require hemp plants to have THC levels of 0.3% or less.