WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Beginning this year, Hoosier residents who want to grow hemp in the state will be required to pay a fee, said Laura Fritz, hemp and farmer licensing coordinator with the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC).

Applicants also need to pass an FBI background check and register with the office.

The growing of hemp will be fully commercial in the state for the first time this year. In 2019 and 2020, Hoosier farmers could work with a university-employed researcher to grow hemp. This year, growers and handlers will not need to work with a researcher.

Last year, the state had about 270 licensed grower handlers, Fritz said. For 2021, Indiana had 81 licensed grower handlers as of press time.

“I personally don’t think we’re going to get close to 270 (in 2021),” she said. “I have (several) draft applications that someone has started but not finished. They may have stopped (the application process) because they didn’t want to do a background check or they didn’t want to pay a fee.”

Of the approved licenses for 2021, about 80 percent were returning growers and handlers and 20 percent were new to the program, she said.

Applicants to be growers or handlers will be charged $750 annually; those wishing to do both will pay $1,500, Fritz said. Handlers are considered those who participate in the processing, drying or transportation of hemp. Growers and handlers must renew their licenses each year.

Hemp may be grown for several purposes – for seed, for cannabinoids (including CBD) and for fiber (for textiles) – Fritz said. Each classification has specific requirements for licensing, she added.

In general, those wanting to apply to grow or handle hemp must complete the background check within 60 days of registering. Applicants must not have a federal or state drug conviction within the last 10 years.

Potential applicants should visit the OISC website – www.oisc.purdue.edu – and click on the “hemp” tab at the top. The site includes news and updates about the state’s hemp program. Applicants should create an account. As a part of the application, they’ll need to answer questions about whether the applying entity is a company or individual, the license type (grower, handler or both) requested, the key participants (considered anyone with a supervisory role in dealing with the hemp), where they obtained their seed and where on their property hemp may be grown. Applicants should include any areas of their property where they might consider growing hemp because there is a fee for making changes to where hemp might be grown, Fritz said.

Updates regarding planting, harvesting and anything else related to hemp growth are to be reported through the OISC website, she said.

Growers who may still be storing hemp from 2019 or 2020 but who don’t intend to grow hemp in 2021 should fill out a storage agreement form for the OISC, said Don Robison, the office’s seed administrator. The one-page document asks for the person’s name, their former license number and the location where the hemp is stored. The agreement should prevent problems if a law enforcement agency sees the stored hemp while on the property, Robison said.