The governor’s signing of the bill that makes industrial hemp production legal has put the process in motion to create the rules for producers.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says the 2018 federal farm bill opened the way, and the state now has to follow through. “We will apply to the U.S.D.A. and seek approval from them to have a state program,” Naig explains. “So, there is quite a bit of work yet to do here before we actually have a program to implement here in the state.”

He says that means there won’t be any hemp grown on Iowa farms until 2020. That gives producers time to research hemp as a possible crop.

Read the full article on the Radio Iowa website.