Early hemp numbers show strong interest in flower production

Missouri’s industrial hemp program went into effect at the end of last year, effectively transitioning from a pilot program to opening up to large scale production. The Missouri Department of Agriculture began accepting applications for industrial hemp licenses on January 2, 2020. Unlike medical marijuana applications, there are no deadlines to apply to grow or sell hemp. Applicants can apply throughout the year.  

The newly instated regulations require any group interested in growing industrial hemp to obtain a producer registration. Those interested in selling or distributing hemp propagule or seed must possess an agricultural hemp propagule or seed permit. It is illegal to grow, sell, or distribute hemp in Missouri without these necessary permits. 

Applicants also must pass for a state and federal background check every three years if they’d like to renew their permit and stay in operation. 

The state received 123 applications and as of the end of last week, 40 have been approved, with a split of 25 producer registrations and 13 agricultural hemp propagule and seed permits. 

The Missouri Department of Agriculture provided a breakdown of the application numbers. Greenway has displayed these numbers below in pie graphs below for informational use.

These numbers used come from the approved applications and have been rounded slightly. 

The outdoor production is categorized in acres and the indoor production in square feet. Outdoor production has a planned total of 1,575 acres, while indoor production has a planned total of 6,844,250 square feet. 

At the moment, these numbers are useful to gauge the interest by category, rather than specify exactly where Missouri acreage is.  As Missouri moves towards a planting date for 2020, the numbers will balance themselves out and represent the space used to grow more accurately.