State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball has annouonced that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Hemp Program Plan was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, all states interested in administering a state hemp program were required to submit a hemp program plan to the USDA. The Plan allows the Department to continue to administer a hemp grower licensing program, starting in 2022. The Department is now accepting applications for the program, which will take effect on January 1, 2022