For USDA Licensed Producers Only

Licenses issued under the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program are for growing hemp, not medical or recreational marijuana. Marijuana remains classified on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act and is subject to any and all restrictions and penalties attached to such federal classification.

USDA is currently only accepting applications from producers located in the following states:

Hawaii
Iowa (Licenses will be issued after January 1, 2025)
Kansas (Licenses will be issued after January 1, 2025)
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska (Licenses will be issued after January 1, 2025)
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Utah
Wisconsin
Vermont

and from the following tribes:

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation
Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
Walker River Paiute Tribe

USDA hemp production applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. If you are located in another state or are a member of an Indian tribe, please contact your State Department of Agriculture or Tribal Government for licensing instructions.

To apply for a USDA hemp production license, you will need to create an account using the Hemp eManagement Platform (HeMP) and use HeMP to submit a USDA Hemp Application and a copy of your FBI Identity History Summary Check.

The FBI Identity History Summary Check ensures no licensed USDA hemp producer has a felony conviction related to a controlled substance in the last 10 years. Applicants and their key participants will need to include completed FBI reports with the USDA producer application through HeMP at the time of submission. FBI reports cannot be dated more than 60 days from the date of USDA producer application submission. Applications without accompanying FBI reports will be returned. For more information on obtaining your FBI Identity History Summary, please visit the FBI's Criminal Justice Service website.

If you have questions we can be reached at (888) 721-HEMP(4367) or farmbill.hemp@usda.gov.

Remember that to meet sampling and testing requirements, producers are responsible for securing their own sampling agents and laboratories. All reporting required of USDA licensed producers can be done directly in the Hemp eManagement Platform (HeMP). Please view these instructions for Information on creating or accessing a HeMP account.

Webinars

Additional Resources