The Hemp Fiber and Grain Association is a resource for farmers to learn more about industrial hemp fiber and grain farming. Our team has recommendations for where to buy hemp seed for planting, best practices for planting hemp fiber and grain, how to effectively harvest your crop, and ultimately sell the crop to a local processor.
There are very few hemp fiber and grain seed suppliers in the US, and even fewer that focus entirely on the industrial marketplace. Here is a list of HFGA approved vendors for certified hemp seed in the US, which grows every year.
HFGA-approved hemp seed vendors follow simple and sustainable guidelines for industrial hemp farmers:
OECD stands for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
AOSCA stands for the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies.
Hemp seed that is produced in Europe is certified by the OECD. Hemp seed that is produced in the U.S. is certified by AOSCA.
The OECD Seed Certification Schemes is an international regulatory framework for the varietal certification of agricultural seed. Sixty-one countries follow the rules of the OECD Seed Schemes. These standards are critical for the international trade of agricultural planting seed. The goal of the OECD Seed Schemes is to promote the global use of consistent, high-quality certified agriculture seed.
OECD-certified agricultural and vegetable species fall under the categories of:
Industrial hemp falls under the crucifers and other oil or fiber species category. The OECD seed schemes define the standards developed by seed certification specialists in cooperation with other international seed-related organizations, such as FAO, ISF, ISTA, and UPOV.
In North America, varietal certification is done by AOSCA, a crop improvement trade organization that develops and promotes certified seed varieties for use in commercial agriculture, through various State-level vested member agencies.
While there are AOSCA-member seed certifying agencies across the U.S., there are also member agencies in Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Like OECD, AOSCA certification ensures varietal purity and performance for many crops, including wheat, alfalfa, sunflower, dry beans and soybeans, and most recently hemp.
The industrial hemp marketplace has a lot of challenges, including scale, credibility of information available, buyers of crops, and so much more. Having certified seed can be one of the benchmarks that enable farmers to reduce risk and grow more consistent crops.
Beyond derisking your production, there is a legislative benefit to using certified seed. Reducing your testing and compliance requirements. You can eliminate testing requirements for CBD/THC in many states by planting certified hemp seeds and providing that information to the state hemp program.
This can eliminate costs of upwards of $250 per field, increasing your income opportunity.
The official list of AOSCA approved varieties can be found here. If you have any questions about certified hemp seed or want to learn more about our certified hemp varieties, connect with our certified hemp seed partners.
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