The proposed licensing fees and planting minimums for hemp production in Ohio could create cost barriers that exclude smaller growers, farmers and industry groups said.
Rules proposed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture for the newly legalized crop would require at least 1,000 hemp plants be grown on at least a quarter acre (.10 hectare) of land, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Ohio’s rules were devised after a review of hemp programs in other states, assessing what worked and what didn’t, said David Miran, executive director of the department’s hemp program.
Ohio legalized hemp production earlier this year, and the state has no market yet. This means aspiring hemp growers are already taking a risk, said Andy Hupp, who grows organic vegetables on two acres in Groveport and looks for high value crops to grow on small plots.
The $500 license fee and an investment in a minimum of 1,000 plants creates a “high entry barrier” for hemp production, he said.
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