Only a few days remain for Tennessee’s licensed hemp growers to report their crop acreage to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Although the original reporting deadline was Aug. 15, FSA is waiving late fees as long as growers contact FSA by Sept. 15.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers the state’s hemp licensing program. TDA is working closely with FSA and hemp growers to meet new federal requirements. A provision of the 2018 USDA interim final rule on hemp production requires all growers to report their hemp crop to FSA.

FSA staff can assist growers in filing their crop acreage report over the phone, by email, and through virtual meetings. If this is the first time to file with FSA, the process will take a few extra minutes to create a farm record and customer record with the agency.

To locate a local FSA office, visit www.farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

As of Sept. 10, there are 1,859 growers licensed to plant as much as 16,000 acres of hemp in Tennessee. Learn more about Tennessee’s hemp program online at www.tn.gov/agriculture/farms/hemp-industry.html.