South Dakota submits industrial hemp plan to USDA for final approval

South Dakota has submitted its industrial hemp plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval. 

The plan lays out how the state will regulate industrial hemp, and South Dakota farmers will be able to begin growing industrial hemp once the USDA gives final approval. 

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture will continue to develop its program while it waits for that approval, and processors and growers will be able to find more information about applying for a hemp license in the near future, according to Derek Schiefelbein, industrial hemp program manager at the SDDA. 

"I am looking forward to working with industrial hemp producers and processors in South Dakota," Sheifelbein said.

The newly formed South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association applauded the SDDA's plan submission. Producers won't be able to grow hemp until the 2021 season, but the submission is an "important step," the association said in a statement.

"We are one step closer to another option for our farmers in the state," Rep. Lee Qualm, who sponsored the industrial hemp bill this year, said in the statement.

The industrial hemp bill passed during the 2020 legislative session after becoming a battle between Gov. Kristi Noem and the Legislature. Noem opposed legalizing industrial hemp, stating that it could open the door for legalized marijuana, while legislators supported it as another option for farmers. After legislation legalizing industrial hemp was defeated in 2019, the back-and-forth between the two parties continued well into the 2020 legislative session. The industrial hemp bill was one of the final bills to pass during the 2020 session.