Oregon: Department of Agriculture Gives Farmers the Green Light to Grow Industrial Hemp
Source: Hemp.org
By Amy Peradotta, M.P.A. (Special to Hemp News)
In a phone interview on January 29th, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Operations Manager, Ron Pence confirmed, "the rules were filed by the ODA with the Secretary of States Office and were requested to become effective upon filing.” This is great news for anyone interested in growing industrial hemp in Oregon this year. Although a few details still need to be worked out, if all goes as planned, this spring Oregonians will be planting the first legal hemp crop in the state since 1957.
As early as next Monday, February 2, 2015, licenses will be available for anyone who wants to grow hemp in Oregon. Licenses are valid for three years and cost $1,500. While proponents have not been happy about the prohibitive cost of the licensing fee, many are still planning to move forward. The license application form will be available online the week of Feb. 2-6, 2015 on the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s website. Interested growers can download the application, complete the form, and mail it in to the Oregon Department of Agriculture along with the licensing fee of $1,500.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Rules Advisory Committee on Industrial Hemp have been working extensively on this rule making process since Senate bill 676 passed the Oregon Legislature in 2009. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s website, the Rules Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives from Oregon State University, Oregon State Police, representative staff from the offices of State Senator Floyd Prozanski, and US Representative Earl Blumenauer, as well as potential growers and handlers of the crop.
Pence acknowledged that submitting the rules was an “important step in Oregon’s hemp industry”. But he also noted that the next challenge he faces is “gaining the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) approval to import the seeds”. He is currently in the process of filing the DEA permit, so he can secure the seeds for this year’s crop.
Read more: http://hemp.org/news/oregon-department-agriculture-green-light-hemp
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- K&R
