Individuals must apply or renew their licenses by April 30, 2023; however, individuals actively cultivating hemp after Dec. 31 must renew their license by the end of this year, according to a press release from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The minimum cost for a grower license is $400, and the minimum cost for a processor license is $500.

Growers must complete and submit a Farm Service Agency (FSA) form to the agency for all hemp varieties and locations planted within 10 days after planting. Growers must also submit a planting report to MDA within 10 days after reporting lots by variety to FSA, and must submit a harvest report to MDA no more than 30 days after and no less than five days before harvest, according to the release.

Moreover, “a grower license no longer includes one regulatory sample for pre-harvest THC testing. Each official regulatory sample collected by MDA will cost $100,” according to the release. The MDA will also continue to conduct random inspections of processor locations.

This year, Minnesota has 245 licensed hemp growers and 56 licensed processors. Those numbers are down from 2021, which recorded 348 licensed growers and 77 licensed processors, according to the release.