Nevada Department of Agriculture

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) established an Industrial Hemp research and development program following the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. In 2015, the Nevada Legislature passed State Senate Bill 305Request Document Remediation – State Senate Bill 305 to initiate state authority under Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) for the registration, compliance, and enforcement for growing hemp and producing seed. Registered growers were approved to begin production in 2016 through codified NRS 557. Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 557 was established and approved in 2016, with hemp production licenses issued in 2017. In response to program requirements detailed in the 2018 farm bill, 2019 Senate Bill (SB) 347 was established to revise NRS 557. In light of the 2018 Farm Bill, the number of NDA hemp certificate holders and applied hemp production acreage increased from 115 certified hemp growers with an applied 1,880.06 acres in 2018 to 216 certified hemp growers with an applied 14,112.66 acres in 2019. On Oct. 31, 2019 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the Interim Final Rules which clarified the role of State and Tribal programs in the regulatory oversight of hemp production in the U.S. All hemp was required to be produced via registration with a USDA approved State or Tribal program. The USDA released the Final Rules on Jan. 19, 2021. The Final Rules addressed industry concerns with the Interim Final Rules. All states and Tribes interested in maintaining regulatory authority were required to submit a hemp program plan to the USDA for review. In 2020, the NDA submitted Nevada’s state hemp plan to the USDA on four different occasions to participate in discussion and revision. The Nevada State Hemp Plan was approved on May 28, 2021.