According to USDA AMS Specialty Crops webpage, hemp is currently explicitly not considered to be a specialty crop (and therefore not eligible for federal or state specialty crops funding).  Will this change due to the 2018 Farm Bill? 

In addition, we received guidance from USDA NIFA that hemp can be considered a specialty crop by that agency (and therefore potentially eligible for USDA SCRI funding).  Is that currently the case?  Are there any final roadblocks to be cleared?  Lastly, do NIFA and AMS need to be harmonized with each other on this topic?

Thank you,

Mark E. Uchanski, Ph.D.
Colorado State University