Resources for Producers

Yes, any person who grows hemp in Tennessee, regardless of the quantity, is required to have a hemp producer license.  

No, processors are not required to be licensed or registered with TDA for processing hemp. If you plan on making a product for human consumption, you are required to be licensed as a food manufacturing facility. Contact TDA’s food and dairy section for more information on those licenses: (615) 837-5193 or NewFood.Business@TN.gov 

No, TDA does not issue licenses for the sale of processed hemp products. TDA regulates rooted hemp or growing hemp.

You can apply for a Hemp Producer OR Hemp Propagator OR Hemp Broker license at any time. The type of license to acquire is determined by which ONE constitutes most of your business. The application can be found here. A complete application and license fee are required before a license can be issued.

You must have a movement permit before transporting rooted hemp plants and/or transporting harvested hemp from the growing area to a processor for commercial purposes. It takes only a few minutes to apply for a movement permit online. Although it’s not required in all instances, we strongly encourage you to have a permit before moving any plants or plant material.

TDA does not require any testing to the soil before obtaining a license. The person purchasing your hemp may require soil tests for pesticide residues or heavy metals. Nutrient soil tests are can be sent to UT extension for testing while heavy metals and pesticide tests require a private lab. You can use the internet to find a lab for those tests or ask a processor.

Individuals are responsible for sourcing their own propagative material. Click here for a list of licensed hemp seed sellers. Hemp Alliance of Tennessee is a great resource. Visit www.yourhat.org or email info@yourhat.org

TDA uses HPLC-MS to calculate Total THC. Compliance will be Total THC .3% beginning January 1, 2022 in accordance with USDA Final Rule.

All producers must be inspected by TDA and each variety/grow area must be sampled as described in the USDA Final Rule. Inspections will continue to be done by TDA inspectors at no charge. Inspections may be conducted at any time during regular business hours.   Inspections include any location, licensed by the department, for the purpose of inspecting any cannabis plant, record, or other material as necessary for the efficient enforcement of the Act and this chapter.

Yes, and TDA encourages self-monitoring of industrial hemp crops. A google search will give you multiple options for labs. Please note that 3rd party test results do not replace sampling conducted by HATS or TDA.

Hemp seed is regulated like any other seed being sold in Tennessee. If your name is on the seed label, you are required to obtain a TN Seed Sellers License. Information for obtaining a Seed Sellers License can be found here.

* If you are growing seedlings or clones for sale, you will need a Hemp Propagator License.
*If you are buying and re-selling seedlings or clones, you will need a Hemp Broker License.
*ALL licenses expire JUNE 30th. If you apply & receive a license now, IT WILL EXPIRE JUNE 30, 2023.

Products approved for use in Tennessee for use on HEMP (HEMP on the label)

USDA's Farm Service Agency is working on developing assistance for hemp growers.

Hemp sampling will primarily be conducted by HATS-Hemp Administrative Testing and Screening, an independent third-party sampling service.

Every variety and grow area must be sampled and tested for compliance of .3% Total THC this year in accordance with Department Rules and USDA Final Rule. As of April 1, 2023, the prices have changed. It will cost $450 for the first sample, $225 for samples 2 - 4, and the price for all samples taken over 4 on the same day within 3 miles of each other will be $125.The results from the sample will be complete within 72 hours. plus shipping time. Inspections will continue to be done by TDA inspectors at no charge.  It will be each grower’s responsibility to contact HATS at least 30 days prior to harvest to schedule sampling. The Sample request Form may be found on the following website www.hemptesthats.com.

The following are AgWin Samplers: Fred Holder, Charles Knight, Lori Knight, Racheal Polk, Jessica Helton, Chelsea Rhodes     

Yes, according to 0080-06-28-.04 USDA Reports.

All producers shall report hemp crop acreage to the USDA Farm Service Agency within 30 days of obtaining a license and shall provide the following information:

(a) Street address and the GPS location of the lot, greenhouse, building, or site hemp will be grown.
(b) Acreage dedicated to the production of hemp, or greenhouse or indoor square footage dedicated to the production of hemp.
(c) The hemp license number.

Authority:  T.C.A. §§ 4-3-203 and 43-27-104.

Yes, according to 0080-06-28-.03

License Application and Fees.

                An application for a license shall include

(f)         Criminal history report for key participants in the form of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Identity History Summary.

Yes, according to 0080-06-28-.03  and the Final Rule License Application and Fees.

               An application for license shall include    

 (c)       Proof of one of the following for any applicant that is not an individual or a general partnership:

1. Applicant’s registration in its state of incorporation; or,
2. Applicant’s business license issued by a local governmental authority; And must submit EIN.

Reasonable interpretation of the bill at issue may require that the grower’s license that is required in the transport truck be the license that is representative of the concentrate being transported. In other words, not just any license will do.

It has to be the license for the farm that grew the hemp that was used to create the concentrate.
 

No. The individual is responsible for choosing the propagative material, whether certified or not.