Cross-State Heterogeneity of Farm-Scale Hemp Production Costs

The purpose of this project is to collect grower hemp cost of production information for 3 target markets (fiber, grain, essential oil) in 38 States1 that reported production in 2019 through their Departments of Agriculture. Lack of available data is a well-documented problem for the nascent U.S. hemp industry (Mark et al., 20202) even as data is needed for rulemaking required by the 2018 Farm Bill, Public Law 115-334. This project should be viewed as a bridge to collect the needed data for the rulemaking process and not a permanent solution. On October 31, 2020, the Pilot Programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, Public Law 113-79, will end. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, all producers will be required to report hemp planted and harvested acreage to USDA FSA and allow for a complete data frame of hemp producers to be developed.