USDA Announces Upcoming Hemp Survey for 2024 Data Collection

Image | adobe.stock/Rick Lohre

In a December 20, 2024, regional news release, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced details of the upcoming survey conducted by its National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the federal statistical agency that collects data related to agriculture in the US. (1). The Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry will be sent on January 21, 2025, to over 400 hemp producers in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

The survey will collect information important to hemp production in the nation. “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,” stated Rodger Ott, Director, Mountain Regional Field Office, in the news release.

Specifically, the survey will collect data on the total planted and harvested area of hemp, yield, production, and value in 2024, which is similar to the 2023 Hemp Acreage and Production questionnaire from NASS.

According to data in the 2023 National Hemp report (1):

• Total estimated value of hemp production in 2023 was $291 million, an 18% increase from 2022
• Planted area for industrial hemp (for all uses) totaled 27,680 acres
• Harvested area totaled 21,079 acres

The news release noted that according to the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is defined as “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,” (1). Potential changes in the 2024 Farm Bill present new challenges and opportunities for hemp producers, shaping how the plant is cultivated, processed, and regulated.

The producers receiving the survey are asked to respond by January 30 through the online USDA NASS respondent portal, by mail, or by fax. Producers who do not complete the survey could be contacted to complete it during an interview. Contact information for the states’ USDA NASS State Statistician is also included in the press release for producers with questions or who need assistance.

The results of the Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry will be published on April 17, 2025, on the official NASS website and in the NASS Quick Stats database.

In 2022, the USDA began collecting data on hemp in its Census of Agriculture for the first time, which was the first year the NASS was able to collect data since the 2018 Farm Bill allowed cultivation of hemp under certain conditions in the US (2). The Census of Agriculture is conducted every five years, and the USDA began regulating hemp production in 2021.

References

1. United States Department of Agriculture. USDA’S NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE CONDUCTS HEMP SURVEY, https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Utah/Publications/News_Releases/2024/UT-Hemp-Survey-Announcement-122024.pdf (accessed Jan 2, 2025).
2. Anzarut, K. The Evolution of Hemp Regulations: Challenges and Opportunities Under the 2024 Farm Bill, https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/the-evolution-of-hemp-regulations-challenges-and-opportunities-under-the-2024-farm-bill (accessed Jan 2, 2025).
3. McEvoy, E. The US Department of Agriculture Will Collect Hemp Data in Their Census of Agriculture, https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/the-us-department-of-agriculture-will-collect-hemp-data-in-their-census-of-agriculture (accessed Jan 2, 2025).