Potency Testing For a Successful Hemp Harvest
April 14, 2020
With newly planted fields or in our case, greenhouses, growers are looking ahead towards harvest. To ensure a federally compliant hemp harvest, regularly scheduled potency tests are the best way to safeguard your investment. Pennsylvania requires total THC levels at or below .3%.
Here at Almanac Planting Co, we will be collecting flower samples from each of our three strains on a weekly basis and sending them to an independent lab for cannabinoid potency tests. When THC levels near the legal limit it is time to harvest.
However, with Covid-19 delays top of mind, timing is everything. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture requires a PDA inspector to collect samples for testing prior to harvest. The department will connect you with a regional inspector who will visit your farm to collect samples. They suggest scheduling an inspector visit 1 - 2 weeks ahead of your desired sampling date. Sampling agents set their own fees for their services.
The grower decides what lab the sample will be sent to and needs to have a pre-paid shipping label prepared ahead of the PDA’s sampling visit. The lab must mail or e-mail the results directly to the PDA. The PDA can not accept COA’s that the permit holder forwards.
Labs do not have to be registered with the DEA since USDA relaxed that requirement for this year but they do need to be an analytical lab. Penn State Extension provides a listing of labs here. Each lab will have slightly different sample submission guidelines, pricing and quantity requirements so it is best to make arrangements ahead of time.
Please plan ahead to ensure a compliant harvest. Consider the time it will take for a scheduled PDA inspector visit, mailing of hemp samples to the lab, lab testing turn-around times, mailing of results back to the PDA followed by the PDA providing growers with the green light to harvest their crop.
Additional information on PDA’s hemp sampling protocol can be found here.
Best wishes for a bountiful and compliant hemp harvest from all of us at Almanac Planting Co.