USDA to Collect Data on US Hemp Acreage and Production

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is preparing to mail out its first Hemp Acreage and Production Survey to 20,500 producers in the United States that will provide insights on how much of the crop is planted in harvested, yields, production, and the value of hemp in the domestic market.

“This inaugural hemp survey will establish a necessary benchmark and provide critically-needed data for the hemp industry,” NASS Acting Administrator Kevin Barnes said in an agency release this month. “The information collected can help inform producers’ decisions about growing, harvesting, and selling hemp, as well as the type of hemp they decide to produce. The resulting data will also foster greater understanding of the hemp production landscape across regulatory agencies producers, state and Tribal governments, and other key industry entities.”

American farmers are able to produce hemp under the Domestic Hemp Production Program created by the Agriculture Improvement Act (Farm Bill) of 2018.

A report released earlier this year by Powder & Bulk Solids on the estimated number of cannabis manufacturing firms in the US – companies that process or make goods with either marijuana or hemp – projected that there are 4,844 licensed hemp manufacturing firms across the country. The number of hemp processors in states that issue processing licenses reached 2,880 in 2019, a 483% increase from the previous year, according to data gathered by hemp industry advocacy organization Vote Hemp. Business consulting firm Whitney Economics calculated that there were 3,197 licensed processors in the US that year.

The USDA’s survey is noteworthy because most data on domestic hemp production is currently limited.