The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has begun accepting applications for registration to grow and process industrial hemp for the 2019 registration year.
The registration process is now online. Hemp growers and processors have separate registration applications and the forms provide VAAFM the opportunity to collect information about the hemp industry in Vermont, which supports VAAFM's research as part its Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.
The fee to register is $25.
The 2018 amendments to the Vermont hemp law required changes to VAAFM's registration forms and process. Among the changes is the requirement to “certify” sites where industrial hemp is cultivated.
To accomplish this, aerial maps showing boundaries of all fields where industrial hemp will be cultivated and the GPS location of access are now required in the registration application.
In addition to cultivating industrial hemp, a grower may dry, store, and transport their hemp crop under this registration. Growers may register multiple sites on a single registration application.
VAAFM will now also register processors of hemp and hemp-infused products separate from hemp growers. Processors are businesses that handle hemp crops including drying, storing, trimming, extracting, and manufacturing. Processors must register each processing site separately.
Applicants must use the new forms and are encouraged to submit online to register in 2019. VAAFM will review complete applications, including payment of fee, in the order they are received.