USDA to survey hemp producers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will send the Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry to 382 Illinois producers on Jan. 19.

This project will measure changes from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 2021 Hemp Acreage and Production survey.

Like that questionnaire, this year’s survey will collect information on the total planted and harvested area, yield, production and value of hemp in the United States in 2022.

“The Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry will provide critical data about the hemp industry to assist producers, regulatory agencies, state governments, processors and other key industry entities,” said Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician.

NASS estimated the total value of hemp production in the United States at $824 million in 2021.

Planted area for industrial hemp grown in the open for all utilizations in the United States totaled 54,152 acres. Area harvested for all utilizations totaled 33,480 acres.

Illinois farmers planted 1,100 acres of industrial hemp in the open and harvested 940 of those acres in 2021.

Survey recipients are asked to respond securely online at agcounts.usda.gov, by mail or fax. Those who do not respond by Jan. 30 may be contacted to arrange an interview to complete the survey.

As defined in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the term “hemp” means the plant species Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant such as the seeds, all derivatives and extracts 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 2018 farm bill allows for the cultivation of hemp under certain conditions.

All information reported by individuals will be kept confidential, as required by federal law.

NASS will publish the survey results April 19 on the agency’s website at nass.usda.gov and in the NASS Quick Stats database at quickstats.nass.usda.gov.

For more information about the 2022 Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry, visit the hemp survey web page at www.nass.usda.gov/go/hemp.

For assistance with the survey, or for more information, contact the NASS Heartland Regional Field Office at 800-551-1014 or nassrfohlr@usda.gov.