In November 2017, Gov. Scott Walker signed into law Act 100, establishing a pilot program allowing hemp production for research purposes. Within four months, the state began accepting applications for the 2018 growing season. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) regulated industrial hemp cultivation and processing until 1 January, 2022, after which the state’s hemp program was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

From 1 January, 2022, hemp growers have to apply for a license under the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program. Hemp processors no longer require a DATCP license to process hemp but remain under the authority of DATCP for consumer and food products.

Application Process:

1. Create an account on the USDA’s website.
2. Submit a complete USDA hemp application along with the required information (mentioned below) through the Hemp eManagement Platform or by mail.
3. The USDA will review the application for completeness and to determine if the applicant is eligible.
4. The USDA will notify the applicant by mail or email to inform them whether their application has been approved or denied. If the application has been approved, a producer license will be issued.

There is no application fee.

If the license application is denied, applicants may appeal the denial in accordance with Subpart D of Part 990 of the Domestic Hemp Production Program.

Required information to be provided with the completed application form is not limited to:

• Contact information of the applicant.
• If the applicant is a business entity:
  • Full name of the business.
  • Address of the principal business location.
  • Full name and title of the key participants on behalf of the entity.
  • Email address (if available).
  • Employer Identification Number.
• FBI criminal history report for an individual or, if the applicant is a business entity, all key participants, issued within 60 days of the application submission date.

Applicants must also certify that they will adhere to the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Plan.

Information that a USDA licensed hemp producer must report to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is not limited to:

• Their hemp crop acreage.
• The specific location where hemp is produced.
• The acreage, greenhouse, building or site where hemp is produced.

Hemp producer licenses must be renewed every three years. The expiration date of a hemp producer license is on December 31 of the year that is at least three years after the license is issued. Applications for renewal must have the same information as required for the initial application. There is no renewal application fee.

Wisconsin Hemp Industry Statistics

From 2018 to 2020, the number of licensed hemp growers and processors in Wisconsin grew rapidly – multiplying nearly 7 times for hemp growers and almost 8 times for hemp processors, according to the DATCP. After the state’s hemp program was transferred to the USDA, the DATCP no longer reported data on licensees so licensee data for 2022-2024 is not available.

In 2018, 180 growers planted hemp on 1,872 acres and 78 processors were mainly registered to convert crop into CBD oil. In 2020, 1,249 growers planted 5,444 acres but only 587 acres were harvested. Due to oversupply in the U.S. hemp market, in 2021 and 2022 much lower acreages of planted hemp were registered by Wisconsin’s hemp growers – 680 acres and 870 acres, respectively.

According to the National Hemp Report, in 2024, 460 acres of hemp were planted by nearly 400 USDA licensed hemp producers (USDA Public Search Data) and 320 acres were harvested, of which 85% was harvested for floral hemp. This is a large increase in the acreage dedicated to growing floral hemp from 2021 when just 19% of harvested hemp was floral. The price of Wisconsin’s harvested floral hemp in 2024 was $55 per pound, bringing the value of its utilized production to $8.5 million which attributed 2.2% to the total value of utilized floral hemp in the United States in that year.

Planted acreage rose slightly to 550 acres in 2025, with 330 acres harvested (2025 National Hemp Report). Floral hemp accounted for an even higher proportion of the harvested acreage (98%), producing 250,000 pounds of floral biomass. Nearly all of it was utilized, valued at $5.26 million.

In November, 2025, there were 470 USDA licensed hemp growers in Wisconsin. However, as of early June 2026, there were only 298 active licensed farmers. Some attribute this decline to the changes made to US hemp regulations in November 2025 which are planned to come into effect in November 2026, redefining the 0.3% THC cap to measure total THC (including THCA) and allowing any finished hemp product to contain no more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container. These new restrictions would make multiple products currently being sold in the market illegal. Hence, some farmers may prefer to wait for more clarity or possibly even a reversal of some of these changes before November 2026. For more information, please see our article:

Update on U.S. Hemp Regulations

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the state’s hemp industry mainly consists of consumable products and is worth “more than $700 million in economic production”, employing around 3,500 people.

Wisconsin Hemp Industry Infographics