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USDA Hemp Germplasm Laboratory
Visit the NPGS Hemp Crop Page here!
We, Zachary Stansell and Tyler Gordon are scientists at the Plant Genetic Resources Unit in Geneva, NY, which is within the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The NPGS holds over 600,000 unique crop accessions that are available to the plant breeders, researchers, and educators.
Our main responsibilities include acquisition, conservation, and evaluation of a genetically diverse hemp germplasm collection and to make those resources available to the scientific community. Since 2021, we’ve curated a large and diverse collection (N > 600 accessions) collected from 35 different countries (video overview from 2022). We publish a hemp phenotyping handbook guiding our ongoing characterization efforts covering architectural traits, flowering time/photoperiod sensitivity, secondary metabolites, seed traits (e.g., seed fatty acid and protein content), and fiber quality. This data is publicly available via GRIN Global. Additional objectives include generating breeding and pre-breeding lines, standardization of phenotyping protocols and developing tools to accelerate research (e.g., hemp pollen collection). Read more about our project plan here.
Legal Status
Q: Is it legal to grow hemp in the United States?
A: The 2018 Farm Bill (codified at 7 USC § 1639o) includes the legal definition of hemp:
The term “hemp” means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
As of the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is no longer a controlled substance under Federal law. Hemp production is now permissible under Federal law if done in compliance with the 2019 Final Rule for Hemp Production and provisions of the 2018 and 2014 Farm Bills.
In addition to the 2018 Farm Bill definition of “hemp” there is a similar definition of “industrial hemp” that was established by the 2014 Farm Bill. The statute codifying that 2014 definition will be repealed one year after Federal hemp production regulations have been promulgated. Here we refer to the 2018 Farm Bill definition as "Hemp".
Check out our USDA Hemp Descriptor and Phenotyping Handbook!
Want to learn more about Hemp germplasm? Read about our collaboration research project goals of documentation, evaluation and characterization.
For more information on the PGRU’s conservation and utilization of Hemp genetics project, click here.
Contact zachary.stansell@usda.gov for more information
Media Highlights:
USDA Hemp Page
H.R.5485 - Hemp Farming Act of 2018
Cornell Hemp FAQ*
*Goes to a non Federal site
