AOSCA Certified Hemp Seed

Previously on the International Hemp blog, we’ve talked about the importance of “certified seed.” However industrial hemp has only been cultivated in the United States since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. While hemp was cultivated in colonial America through the mid 20th century, it didn’t develop alongside like other staple crops of the agriculture industry, like corn, wheat, and soy. So the question remains - has there been enough time for seed certifying agencies, like the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA), to certify hemp seed varieties for use in U.S. commercial agriculture?

The answer is yes!

States like Colorado and Kentucky have been at the forefront of both hemp farming and research, working with commercial varieties, such as those that are certified by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development on the OECD Seed Schemes. This includes the Polish varieties we’ve licensed and imported from the Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants, Bialobzreskie and Henola.

Over the last few years, we’ve worked with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) in cooperation with vested AOSCA member, the Colorado Seed Growers Association (CSGA), to grow Bialobzreskie and Henola here in Colorado for certified seed production. This certification process also ensures THC compliance and varietal purity.

The approved certified seed program through CDA is a four-part process:

1. First, Acceptance by the Variety Review Board. (CSGA or AOSCA)

2. Statewide testing of the genetics for THC content and validation of the variety description by the CDA.

3. Seed produced by a Colorado Seed Growers Association member in accordance with AOSCA standards or an approved seed certifying agency.

4. Individual seed packages being tagged with "CDA Approved Certified Seed" tags.