Now is your chance to let the USDA know what's going on in the hemp marketplace, affecting hemp policy in the years to come! Let policymakers know how essential policies on grain and fiber are to your business!
USDA has sent hemp producers invitations to participate in a national survey as part of an initiative to collect data on the hemp industry. USDA officials hope the collection of data will “assist producers, regulatory agencies, state governments, processors and other key industry entities" in future decision-making, program design, and more. Farmers are asked to give information on the total area planted and harvested, yield, production amounts and methods, and value of hemp in 2023.
As an annual process, USDA released the 2022 survey results in April of 2023, which can be found here. According to the survey, the value of production of hemp in 2022 was estimated to be $238 million, with a total of 28,314 acres of hemp grown in the open and 18,251 total acres harvested. Within those estimates, the survey broke down the various forms of production and their respective acreage and pounds produced. Floral hemp production totaled 6.78 million pounds of hemp grown in the open on an estimated 7,105 acres, while grain hemp production totaled 2.43 million pounds on an estimated 5,379 acres and fiber hemp production totaled 21 million pounds on an estimated 6,850 acres. Production of hemp in the open for seed was estimated to be 146,000 pounds on an estimated 812 acres.
Information gathered from agricultural surveys is crucial for decision-making by agricultural officials in Oregon and beyond, affecting how the USDA implements hemp policy across the nation such as crop insurance, farm loans, land use, and environmental decisions. Statistics from the USDA's survey also help organizations advocate for the hemp industry by providing objective data to help support our policies to advance the grain and fiber industry!
Results from the latest survey are expected to be published in April 2024. For more information about the 2023 Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry, visit the hemp survey web page at nass.usda.gov/go/hemp. For assistance with the survey, producers are encouraged to call the NASS Northwestern Regional field office at (360) 890-3300 or (800) 435-5883. We encourage you to participate!