ISDA briefs committee on hemp program; growers and processors urge changes to THC threshold, remediation and fees

Chanel Tewalt, director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, told the House Agriculture Affairs Committee that Idaho’s hemp program — established after passage of House Bill 126 in 2021 and built to meet USDA requirements under the 2018 Farm Bill — is intentionally stringent and administratively demanding.

“The Farm Bill is very prescriptive about on‑farm production,” Director Tewalt said. She told members Idaho’s program requires testing, on‑site inspections and strict chain‑of‑custody rules; under Idaho law hemp may not exceed 0.3% THC on the farm, and commercial hemp‑derived products that leave a processing facility must test at essentially 0% THC.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that Idaho’s thresholds and administrative requirements are among the strictest in the country and that the program’s inspection frequency and small licensee base make the program relatively expensive to administer. Growers and processors told the panel those rules have practical effects — from harvesting windows and remediation options to the competitiveness of Idaho‑manufactured products compared with imported retail goods.

Key points from ISDA

- Legal framework: Director Tewalt said House Bill 126 (2021) implemented an Idaho plan consistent with the federal 2018 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill governs on‑farm production and some transportation but does not regulate seed certification, product manufacturing or retail sales; those areas fall to state agencies and federal bodies such as the FDA.

- THC thresholds and enforcement: Under the federal Farm Bill a state plan can allow up to 1% THC before a…