In May 2019, Nebraska legislature legalized the cultivation of hemp. LB657, passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts, adopted the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act and amended existing statutes to establish a state hemp program within the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA). The legislation gave NDA the authority to regulate the growing, harvesting and processing of hemp for research purposes in Nebraska under a licensing agreement until further action is taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture submitted the state hemp program to the United States Department of Agriculture in 2019 and it was approved in 2020.

According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s list of licensed hemp cultivators 176 applications were received and 10 approves for the 2019 growing season. In 2020, Nebraska issued licenses to 84 growers and there are 56 total licensees for 2021.

In 2022, the NDA Hemp Program saw the number of licensees decrease for a second consecutive year. Of the forty cultivator licensees, twenty-five planted hemp on about 280 acres.

Nebraska Hemp Industry Infographics