Informational Meeting on Farm Products/Commodity Handler Programs and Colorado’s Industrial Hemp Industry

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will be hosting a public meeting to provide information on the CDA Farm Product Dealer Program as it relates to the commercial use of industrial hemp in Colorado.

Date: Tuesday, April 18th

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM

Location: Colorado Department of Agriculture -305 Interlocken Parkway, Broomfield, CO 80021

The livestream will be broadcast on the Colorado Department of Agriculture's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/coloradoagriculture

Under the CDA Industrial Hemp Registration Program, the number of Colorado farmers registered to grow industrial hemp is growing at a rapid pace. As a result, the CDA has launched an effort to bring dealers of unprocessed industrial hemp into compliance with the CDA Farm Product and Commodity Handler Acts.

Historically, the CDA Farm Product and Commodity Handler Programs established under these acts have provided important financial protection to Colorado producers who entrust their agricultural products and commodities to dealers with the expectation of future payment.

Since unprocessed industrial hemp and hemp seed each fall under the statutory definition of a farm product and a commodity respectively, the CDA’s goal is to appropriately bring industrial hemp dealers and commodity handlers into compliance with these programs before the upcoming 2017 harvest season.

At this meeting, the CDA staff will provide a basic overview of the Farm Product Dealer and Commodity Handler programs. The staff presentation will cover topics including:

● Basic structure of the programs

● Who is required to be a licensed Farm Product Dealer or Commodity Handler

● Licensing and insurance requirements

● How these programs can protect industrial hemp producers

This meeting will provide beneficial information for industrial hemp producers, processors, and anyone interested in becoming a Farm Product Dealer or a Commodity Handler of industrial hemp. In addition, this meeting will provide additional updates on other topics related to the CDA and industrial hemp.

Information from the meeting and about this program will be posted on our program web page after the meeting. For questions about the meeting, you may contact the Program Manager, Mark Gallegos, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (303) 867-9213.

We hope to see you there.

Sources: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/FP%20Meeting%20Announcement.pdf  &  https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/aginspection/farm-products-industrial-hemp