The MDA developed the Methane Digester Loan Program in 1998 to help supplement the funds needed for livestock producers in
- Dr. Deblain Sarangi's research papers on Google Scholar (is this a good way to highlight Deblain’s research?)
- Developing robust identification assays for Amaranthus palmeri in seed mixtures (U of MN)
- Climate change and range expansion of invasive plants (U of MN)
- Select five plants to sample within each field/site
- For each plant sample:
- Collect 5 leaves
- Place leaves into a Ziplock® bag (as pictured below) with a piece of paper towel and a paper label that indicates the suspected species and includes the collector’s name, collection date, county, plant location within the field (latitude/longitude), and a sample letter - A, B, C, D, or E, depending on which sample of the five collected it represents.
- Place all five plant samples (i.e. individual bags) for a field/site into a single gallon bag
- Please write on the gallon bag a sample identifier using the following protocol: collector’s initials, year collected and herbicide sample number (for example, JP22HS#001 – where JP are the initials for Jane Public who collected the sample, 22 represents the year collected – 2022, HS#001 identifies that this is the first herbicide sample collected)
- Go to #4
- Repeat for each new field/site.
- For each plant sample:
- Select five plants to sample within each field/site
- For each plant sample:
- Collect 5 leaves
- Place leaves into a Ziplock® bag (as pictured below) with a piece of paper towel and a paper label that indicates the suspected species and includes the collector’s name, collection date, county, plant location within the field (latitude/longitude), and a sample letter - A, B, C, D, or E, depending on which sample of the five collected it represents.
- Place all five plant samples (i.e. individual bags) for a field/site into a single gallon bag
- Please write on the gallon bag a sample identifier using the following protocol: collector’s initials, year collected and herbicide sample number (for example, JP22HS#001 – where JP are the initials for Jane Public who collected the sample, 22 represents the year collected – 2022, HS#001 identifies that this is the first herbicide sample collected)
- Go to #4
- Repeat for each new field/site.
- For each plant sample:
If requested to collect samples for a research project, MDA will provide a specific collection protocol to be followed.
Free money for local school food: Farm to School Grants webinar
It’s a great time to start or grow your Farm to School program! No matter the size or location, your school district is eligible to receive money to buy local food and kitchen equipment through our Farm to School Grant program.
Join us and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to find out what's new and exciting about this year's grants, hear directly from previous recipients about what it's like to apply, and ask questions about the application process.
Thanks to support from the USDA Local Foods for Schools program, we have more than $4 million to award to schools this year, so sign up for the webinar and visit our Farm to School Grants webpage for program details.
Online applications are now open for anyone wishing to grow or process hemp in Minnesota in 2023. A license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is required for individuals and businesses.
Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2023, and a license is good for the 2023 calendar year.
The application can be found on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/industrialhemp. Along with the online form, first-time applicants need to submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.
Growers and processors need to be aware of the following for 2023:
- Growers are required to complete a Farm Service Agency (FSA) 578 form for all hemp varieties and locations planted. This must be submitted no more than days 10 after planting to the county FSA office (or offices) where the hemp is grown. If a grower fails to submit this data to FSA in the required time, the MDA will not be allowed to sample and test those fields or issue a Fit for Commerce Certificate for those hemp lots.
- Growers are responsible for submitting the following reports to the MDA:
- Planting Report: This must be submitted to the MDA no more than 10 days after reporting the lots by variety to FSA, or a grower will be subjected to a penalty. A report must be submitted even if a grower decides not to plant hemp for the license period.
- Harvest Report: This must be submitted to the MDA no more than 30 days and no less than five days before harvest of a hemp lot. Lots that were not harvested due to field failures or destroyed for other reasons must also be reported. Failure to submit a Harvest Report will result in a penalty.
- A grower license no longer includes one regulatory sample for pre-harvest THC testing. Each official regulatory sample collected by MDA will cost $100.
- The MDA licenses processors that handle raw hemp and initially process it by extraction, decortication, devitalization, crushing or packaging, and the department will continue random inspections of processor locations.
- License fees will remain the same. The minimum cost of a grower license is $400. A processing license is a minimum of $500.
While the deadline to apply or renew is April 30, 2023, those actively growing hemp plants indoors past December 31, 2022, must renew their license before expiration at the end of the year.
Questions about the MDA’s Industrial Hemp Program should be sent to hemp.mda@state.mn.us or 651-201-6600.
Background
Industrial hemp and marijuana are both types of the same plant, Cannabis sativa. They differ by the concentration level of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) within the plant. Hemp has less than 0.3% THC, and levels above that are considered marijuana.
Minnesota operated under a hemp pilot program from 2016-2020. In 2021, the program began operating under a new, federally approved state plan that governs production and regulation.
Licensing and Acreage | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Approved Applicants | 7 | 47 | 65 | 505 | 542 | 425 | 293 |
Licensed Growers | 6 | 33 | 43 | 350 | 461 | 348 | 245 |
Licensed Processors – Processing Only | 0 | 5 | 8 | 49 | 77 | 77 | 56 |
Outdoor Acres Planted | 38 | 1,202 | 709 | 7,353 | 5,808 | 2,830 | 489 |
Indoor Square Feet Planted | 0 | 0 | 54,618 | 40,304 | 1,460,328 | 318,713 | 366,026 |
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Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Brittany.Raveill@state.mn.us