News

Hemp seed questions

Interest in hemp continues to grow and the American Seed Trade Association is working to provide information and identify sources of quality seed.

Chair Wayne Gale says growers have a lot of questions surrounding hemp seed…“Where do you get it and what does it look like and what are the characteristics you should look for and who should you buy it from…” he says. “Unlike many other crops we deal with it’s unusual because we’ve gone from 0 to 100 in a matter of four years, so the infrastructure is being built as we speak.”

He says the characteristics of hemp seed are also top of mind.

“The Federal Seed Act requires seed to be labeled with germination and purity,” he says. “Well now we also want to know the THC component and the feminization of the seed is supposed to be as close to 100 percent as possible but those characteristics don’t exist in the Federal Seed Act so what do we do.”

Gale says next steps should include consultation and education. He says ASTA is working to provide platforms and resources for stakeholders.