Colorado Hemp Advancement & Management Plan
Colorado became a national leader in industrial hemp cultivation and production when it launched one of the first successful pilot hemp programs in the United States. The recent passage of the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, commonly called the Farm Bill, requires each state department of agriculture to submit a state management plan to the USDA, outlining how various aspects of hemp cultivation and processing will be managed within their jurisdiction.
Governor Polis has made it a priority for Colorado to remain an innovating force in the promotion of this high-value agricultural commodity. In response, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is partnering with leading state, local, and tribal agencies, as well as industry experts in cultivation, testing, research, processing, finance and economics to establish a statewide initiative known as the Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan (CHAMP).
The 2018 Farm Bill provides Colorado a unique opportunity to establish a comprehensive blueprint for how the state will not only manage but also advance this emerging industry by examining the entire supply chain from cultivation to market, and the steps in between. The CHAMP initiative is a broad stakeholder effort. In keeping with CDA’s core mission to continuously strengthen and advance Colorado agriculture, a key objective of the CHAMP initiative will be to define a well structured and defined supply chain for hemp in order to establish a strong market for the state’s farming communities.
The collaborative effort includes CDA, the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Health and Environment, Department of Revenue, Department of Regulatory Agencies, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Department of Public Safety, Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, Department of Higher Education, local governments and industry experts.
In addition, assembling a group of committed industry stakeholders to help develop the CHAMP initiative will be critical to its success. We are seeking regulatory and industry subject matter experts to serve as stakeholder champions and help formulate Colorado’s blueprint for hemp.