USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service plans to seek an extension and revision of its hemp information collection, giving producers an opportunity to weigh in on the usefulness of the data and the time required to provide it. A Federal Register notice dated November 12 sets January 11, 2027 as the deadline for comments to be assured consideration.
The action concerns approval for information collection, not a new hemp production rule. The existing approval is listed as expiring November 30, 2026. January 11 is the comment deadline, not an effective date for production requirements.
What the survey would cover
The Hemp Production Practices and Costs Study would collect information about production methods and costs across the fiber, grain and floral segments of the industry. The University of Kentucky prepared the national, census-style survey under a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Specialty Crops Program.
AMS says the survey supports federal rulemaking needs, congressional reporting and analysis of hemp production practices. Its respondent group covers representatives of households, businesses, farms, ranches and organizations registered to grow hemp through state, tribal or USDA programs.
Reporting time and how to comment
AMS estimates the collection will take an average of 30 minutes per response, with 4,010 respondents and a total annual reporting burden of 2,010 hours. Those are agency estimates on which commenters can offer feedback.
The agency also wants comments on whether the collection has practical value, whether its burden estimates and assumptions are accurate, and how to improve the information’s quality and clarity. Suggestions may address ways to reduce reporting time, including electronic collection tools.
Comments can be submitted through Regulations.gov or mailed to USDA’s Specialty Crops Program Hemp Branch. The notice asks commenters to reference docket AMS-SC-26-1981, along with the Federal Register issue date and page numbers, 72847–72848.
AMS says comments will be posted publicly without changes and summarized in its request for Office of Management and Budget approval. Producers submitting feedback should account for that public disclosure.
