LAC 7:XIII.1203. Hemp Seed Certification Standards

A. Land Requirements 1. Hemp crops for Foundation and Registered classes shall not be grown on land which produced a hemp crop in any of the preceding 3 years. 2. Hemp crops for certified class shall not be grown on land which: i. Produced a certified crop of the same variety in the preceding year. ii. Produced a non-certified crop of hemp or a different variety of hemp in either of the preceding 2 years. 3. Inspections a. LDAF will inspect fields at a stage of growth when varietal purity is best determined. Crops not inspected at the proper stage for best determining varietal purity may be cause for rejection of certified status. b. LDAF will perform a minimum of two inspections on monoecious types and unisexual hybrids. The first inspection for all classes of monoecious types shall be made just before or at the early flowering stage. c. LDAF will perform at least one inspection on the Registered and Certified classes of dioecious types. The first inspection for all classes of dioecious types must be made after flowering when male plants are beginning to senesce. d. The second inspection for monoecious types, unisexual hybrids and Foundation class of dioecious types must be made during seed development. e. The presence of volunteer hemp plants within isolation areas may be cause for rejection of certified status. 4. Isolation Requirements a. There shall not be any Cannabis sativa L. plants within the isolation area. b. The isolation requirements shall be met prior to flowering and crop inspection. Table 1. Minimum Isolation Distances Required Between Classes of Certified Hemp and Other Hemp Crops Certified Hemp Crop | Other Hemp Crops | Isolation Distance (feet) Dioecious type – Foundation | - Different varieties of Hemp - Non-certified crop of Hemp | 15,750 Dioecious type – Foundation | - Lower certified class seed crop of same variety | 6460 Dioecious type – Foundation | - Same class of certified seed crop of same variety | 10 Dioecious type – Registered | - Different varieties of Hemp - Non-certified crop of Hemp | 15,750 Dioecious type – Registered | - Seed crop of same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 5250 Dioecious type – Registered | - Seed crop of same variety that meets registered standards for varietal purity | 3 Dioecious type – Certified | - Different varieties of Hemp - Non-certified Hemp | 2630 Dioecious type – Certified | - Planted with certified seed of the same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 660 Dioecious type – Certified | - Seed crop of same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 3 Monoecious type – Foundation | - Dioecious variety of Hemp - Non-certified crop of Hemp | 15,750 Monoecious type – Foundation | - Other Monoecious varieties - Lower certified class seed crop of same variety | 9690 Monoecious type – Foundation | - Same class of certified seed of same variety | 16 Monoecious type – Registered | - Dioecious variety of Hemp - Non-certified crop of Hemp | 15,750 Monoecious type – Registered | - Different varieties of the same type of Hemp (Monoecious or Female Hybrid) | 6460 Monoecious type – Registered | - Seed crop of same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 3230 Monoecious type – Registered | - Seed crop of same variety that meets Registered standards for varietal purity | 3 Monoecious type – Certified | - Dioecious variety of Hemp - Non-certified crop of Hemp | 3230 Monoecious type – Certified | - Different varieties of the same type of Hemp (Monoecious or Female Hybrid) - Planted with certified seed of the same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 660 Monoecious type – Certified | - Seed crop of same variety that meets certified standards for varietal purity | 3 5. Impurity Standards a. Impurities shall be removed by the grower prior to crop inspection. b. Any combination of impurities may be cause for rejection of certified status. Table 2. Maximum Number of Impurities Permitted in Approximately 10,000 Plants of the Certified Crop Type and Class | Maximum Impurity Standards per 10,000 Plants in Hemp Seed Crops Type and Class | Maximum Number of Dioecious Male Plants Shedding Pollen | Maximum Number of Off-Types or Other Varieties Dioecious type – Foundation | None | 3 Dioecious type – Registered | None | 10 Dioecious type – Certified | None | 20 Monoecious type – Foundation | 1 | 3 Monoecious type – Registered | 2 | 10 Monoecious type – Certified | 100 | 20 6. Seed Standards Table 3. Seed Standards for all Classes of Certified Hemp Seed Factor | Foundation | Registered | Certified Pure seed (minimum) | 98.00% Inert matter (maximum)1 | 2.00% Weed seeds (maximum) | 0.10% Total other crop seeds (maximum) | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.08% Other varieties (maximum) | 0.01% | 0.05% | 0.10% Other kinds (maximum)2 | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.07% Germination (minimum)3 | 80.00% 1 Inert matter shall not include more than 0.5 percent of material other than seed fragments of the variety under consideration. 2 Other crop kinds shall not exceed 2 per lb. (454 grams) for Foundation; 6 for Registered; 10 for Certified. 3 Exclusive of dormancy, firm or hard seed, or any other reference to viability.