# Developed by Cornell, US-Grown Low THC Hemp Planting Seed for Hemp Grain Farmers > Ursa Grande is Cornell's low THC hemp planting seed for grain farmers. A 2024 North Carolina site tested 0.15% THC, still under the 0.3% hemp limit. *Published 2026-10-12 · tags: hemp-grain, seed, agronomy* **Q:** What low THC hemp planting seed did Cornell develop for grain farmers? **A:** Cornell developed Ursa Grande as low THC hemp planting seed for grain farmers. It is a dual-purpose cultivar in northern states and a grain crop farther south. A 2024 Goldsboro test was 0.15% total THC, under the 0.3% hemp limit. ## FAQ **Q:** What total THC did Ursa Grande show at Goldsboro in 2024? **A:** NC State reported 0.15% total THC for Ursa Grande at Goldsboro in 2024. The Kinston plot that year was nondetectable. Both results were at or under 0.3%. **Q:** Where does Cornell expect Ursa Grande to finish as a grain crop? **A:** AOSCA describes dual-purpose use north of about 42°N. Planted near the solstice below about 37°N, it stays at a height that can be combined for grain. **Q:** What seeding rate did NC State use for Ursa Grande? **A:** NC State planted Ursa Grande at 600,000 pure live seed per acre. Fiber-only entries in that same trial were drilled at 1.5 million. Use the bag tag on your lot. **Q:** Who does Cornell's AOSCA filing name for Grande seed sales? **A:** The AOSCA application states an intent to license International Hemp to multiply and sell certified seed. Confirm who holds the current commercial lot before you order. **Q:** Is Ursa Grande the same planting seed as Ursa Alta? **A:** No. Ursa Alta is the dedicated fiber cultivar and a poor grain choice north of 32°N. Ursa Grande was selected for grain yield and large seed. --- Grain farmers comparing low THC hemp planting seed should start with Ursa Grande, not with the fiber cultivar. Larry Smart and Jacob Toth selected it at Cornell from a high-THC Chinese landrace, using markers for CBDA synthase genes. [AOSCA](https://aosca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/HP2202_Grande_GVA-H-21-1135AMND.pdf) accepted it as GVA-H-21-1135, later named Grande. The filing calls it a dual-purpose crop, grain and fiber, in northern states, and a high-yielding grain crop in southern states. This is industrial hemp grain, not marijuana and not CBD flower. The compliance target is the 0.3% total THC line in the [USDA AMS hemp rules](https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp). Cornell also selected for a high proportion of varin cannabinoids, which the AOSCA description says contributes to staying inside that line. [NC State Extension](https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/fiber-hemp-variety-trial-results-2023-2024) reported 0.15% total THC for Ursa Grande at Goldsboro in 2024. That is low THC. It is not zero, and it is still hemp. Cornell has grown and trialed the seed in the United States, including NY, NC, KY, FL, TX, and AZ, and a 2025 grain strip trial at Geneva. Certified planting seed was the point of the AOSCA filing. Confirm the current licensee and the seed class on the bag before you treat a research lot as a commercial one. ## Why Grain Farmers Compare This Low THC Hemp Planting Seed Ursa Grande flowers later than other grain cultivars, grows tall, and branches enough to set yield. AOSCA says it produces large seed and holds that seed well through maturation. Males flower before females. In field trials it showed little insect damage and low disease, with the usual limit: those were not controlled feeding or inoculation tests. The 2024 Goldsboro result of 0.15% is the number to remember when someone calls every Cornell seed "zero." Kinston the same year was nondetectable. The [zero THC grain note](/en/news/cornell-zero-thc-grain-planting-seed) explains that gap. A food buyer will use the lot you deliver, not the friendlier of the two sites. Do not plant Ursa Alta and hope for grain. North of 32°N that fiber cultivar usually freezes before seed finishes. The [fiber seed guide](/en/news/cornell-low-thc-fiber-planting-seed) is the other door. ## Where Low THC Hemp Planting Seed Fits a Grain Acre Latitude decides whether this low THC hemp planting seed finishes as grain, as a dual-purpose crop, or as a stand too tall to combine. Grande's flowering time moves with day length. The same bag is not the same harvest in North Dakota and in North Carolina. ### Northern Acres and Low THC Hemp Planting Seed AOSCA expects dual-purpose performance north of about 42°N, across the northern tier including the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and New England. Late flowering there means tall stems and a real fiber yield behind the grain, if a straw buyer wants it. Ask before you chop the straw. The [grain association guide](/en/news/hemp-grain-association-premiums-buyers-markets) is how to price that second product without inventing a market. ### Southern Grain Height for Low THC Hemp Planting Seed Farther south, Grande flowers earlier. Unless you plant very early, fiber yield may not justify a dual-purpose harvest. Below about 37°N, AOSCA says a planting closer to the solstice keeps the crop at a height you can combine for grain. That is the opposite of the fiber cultivar, which wants to stay vegetative and grow tall. Pick the job before you pick the week. ### What the Kinston Grain Harvest Actually Was NC State treated Grande as dual-purpose and waited until about 75% of seed was mature, harvesting October 9 in 2023 and October 2 in 2024. In 2023 the stems were the longest and thickest in the trial, at 264 cm and 11.18 mm, with 7,914 lb/ac of straw and 1,362 lb/ac of bast. Percent bast was 17.20%, the low group, which fits a crop left for seed. [Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu/industrial-hemp-production) tells grain growers generally to combine near 70% ripe seed and 22% to 30% moisture, then dry the lot. Use your handler's moisture spec if it is tighter. ## How to Buy Low THC Hemp Planting Seed and Get Paid for Grain No handler, no drill. This low THC hemp planting seed does not dump at the corn elevator. Food grain needs a buyer who has already set moisture, foreign material, and a THC ceiling before the seed is ordered. ### The Lot Behind Low THC Hemp Planting Seed Cornell's AOSCA filing states an intent to license International Hemp for foundation, registered, and certified seed and for commercial sale. That is an intent on the variety application, not a shelf you should assume is stocked. [Certified seed](/buy-certified-hemp-seed-planting) with a variety name and a lot number is the bar. NC State planted Grande at 600,000 pure live seed per acre, against 1.5 million for the fiber-only entries. Cornell's 2025 Geneva grain strips targeted about 650,000 plants per acre. Start from the tag. ### Contract the Grain, Then Plant [Sell the crop](/sell-your-hemp-fiber-hemp-grain-crop) before the seed order. Write moisture, foreign material, variety, and freight. Network grain prices are discussed against soybean in the [soy grain comparison](/en/news/soy-farmers-hemp-grain-todays-markets), and [commodity pricing](/hemp-fiber-grain-commodity-pricing) is the page to set beside the handler's bid. A 0.15% THC history does not sell a dirty, wet lot. ### Leave the Fiber Cultivar in the Fiber Field If the buyer wants bast more than grain, you are on the wrong seed. Ursa Alta is the fiber release. Grande is the grain and dual-purpose release. The [FAQ](/frequently-asked-questions-industrial-hemp) covers licensing questions. Trust is a named handler and a confirmed lot. Education is 0.15% at one site, latitude, and harvest moisture. Profit is grain you can dry and deliver. --- Source: https://hfga.io/en/news/cornell-low-thc-grain-planting-seed/ HTML version: https://hfga.io/en/news/cornell-low-thc-grain-planting-seed/