Wisconsin state regulators are giving prospective hemp farmers another two months to apply for licenses for the 2019 growing season.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced that it’s extending the deadline for new license applications and existing registration renewals from Dec. 31 to March 1.
Brian Kuhn, director of DATCP’s Bureau of Plant Industry, said in a news release that growers need more time to find land, seed sources and markets.
Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill in late 2017 allowing Wisconsin farmers to grow industrial hemp. The law prohibits plants from containing more than 0.3% THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Farmers with drug convictions aren’t eligible for licenses.
DATCP licensed 242 hemp farmers for the 2018 cultivation season; the agency says 139 planted.
– Associated Press
