- People in Alaska can now apply for hemp registrations.
- In order to reduce human-to-human contact, all applications must be submitted online.
- Agriculture officials provided information on the process via Facebook Live.
Alaska will begin collecting hemp registration applications from farmers, processors, and retailers on Monday after their industry officially launched on Sunday, April 4th. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all applications must be completed online through the Alaska Division of Agriculture’s official website.
Alaskan agriculture officials outlined the new rules for the state’s hemp program via social media broadcast last week in an attempt to practice proper social distancing and reduce personal visits to the Division of Agriculture located in Palmer, Alaska.
Alaska’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program will abide by the rules and regulations that were set in place under the 2014 Farm Bill. This makes them one of several states to follow the 2014 guidelines, including Colorado, North Carolina, Oregon, Montana, and many others.
Regulators Turn to Social Media
As we mentioned above, Alaska’s agriculture officials utilized social media in order to inform farmers and processors about their industrial hemp program. The meeting was conducted in this manner in order to limit the amount of visitors at the Division of Agriculture.
Using Facebook Live, the Division of Agriculture provided information about the registration process and how businesses and individuals could get started in the industrial hemp business.
According to Rob Carter, manager of Alaska’s Northern Latitude Plant Materials Center, the new regulations were designed to break the industry into three individual components: growers, manufacturers, and retailers.
“This will allow our industry to vertically integrate for efficiencies, Carter stated.
Alaska joins the growing number of states to begin collecting applications for hemp production.
Conclusion
Alaskan agriculture officials used one of the most powerful tools available in order to reach their audience as the coronavirus pandemic continues to close businesses and create a higher demand for every individual’s cooperation in avoiding close encounters with others. With the number of people who have accounts on Facebook, there is little doubt that the information was able to spread to those seeking it.
Furthermore, a vast majority of individuals and businesses already rely on the internet for several things including transactions, communication, and marketing. Due to this, the requirement that all applications must be submitted online should not have a big effect on their number of registration applications.
