As U.S. Hemp Roundtable shared in earlier communications, the USDA’s initial foray into regulating the growth and processing of hemp has caused some heartburn for U.S. hemp farmers. It’s an industry consensus that the agency’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) does not provide the kind of flexibility on issues like THC testing, hot hemp disposal and plant sampling that farmers need in order to successfully profit from their hemp crops. That’s why nearly two dozen state hemp programs have chosen to continue to operate under the authorizations provided by the 2014 Farm Bill, which are more flexible than the IFR.