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Illinois one step closer to 2019 hemp production

Illinois farmers are one step closer to growing hemp this year.

Jeff Cox is the with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. He tells Brownfield they revised their proposed hemp rules and submitted them to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for approval.

“We have a hearing scheduled for April 9^th. Once they are approved by JCAR we will file them with the Secretary of State’s office and then we will be able to start taking applications in granting licenses and registrations. So, we are hopeful for mid to late April.”

Cox says after the public comment period, they revised several rules to accommodate farmers including the licensing options.

“We had a lot of people who did not necessarily want to commit to a three-year license. So, we have a tiered system now where you can get a one-year, two-year or three-year license. This should open it up a little bit more so people can experiment with it one year and then maybe the second year they could get a longer license.”

Hemp license applications will be posted on the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s website.