USDA begins collecting data for national hemp survey

Beginning October 18, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began collecting data for a nationwide survey of hemp producers.

The survey gathers information on the total planted and harvested area, yield, production, and value of hemp in the United State according to a release from the USDA. The Hemp Acreage and Production Survey will be mailed to 20,500 producers across the nation. 

“This inaugural hemp survey will establish a necessary benchmark and provide critically-needed data for the hemp industry,” said NASS Acting Administrator Kevin Barnes. “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, processors, and other key industry entities.”

The questionnaire also goes over whether farmers are hand-trimming the hemp they produce, if they plan to extract cannabinoids or terpenes from the crop, what kind of yields they’ve harvested and how they obtain the seeds and clones they use.

Survey recipients are asked to respond securely online at agcounts.usda.gov, using the 12-digit survey code mailed with the survey, or to mail completed questionnaires back in the prepaid envelope provided, by Oct. 25.

As defined in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill), the term “hemp” means the plant species Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant such as the seeds, all derivatives, and extracts, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis. The Domestic Hemp Production Program established in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) allows for the cultivation of hemp under certain conditions.

All information reported during the survey will be kept confidential, as required by federal law. NASS and USDA are expected to publish the survey results Feb. 17, 2022, on the NASS website and in the NASS Quick Stats searchable database. For more information about the Hemp Acreage and Production Survey, visit the hemp web page.