Wisconsin Industrial Hemp — $700M / 3,500 Jobs

Wisconsin Industrial Hemp — $700M / 3,500 Jobs (Evers Feb 2026 Letter)

Wisconsin authorized hemp under 2017 Wisconsin Act 100. Effective January 1, 2022, the WI hemp program transferred to the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program; producers now license through the Hemp eManagement Platform. 470 active USDA-licensed hemp producers in Wisconsin as of November 13, 2025. Per Gov. Tony Evers’s February 27, 2026 letter to Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation: "the state’s hemp industry provides $700 million in economic production, including nearly 3,500 workers" (Wisconsin State Journal).

Legal Disclaimer: This information reflects Wisconsin cannabis law as of May 2026 and is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Laws and regulations change — always verify current rules with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for Lydia's Law CBD; Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for hemp or a qualified attorney. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Last verified: May 2026

Statutory Foundation

Wisconsin authorized hemp under 2017 Wisconsin Act 100 (Senate Bill 119, signed November 30, 2017). 2019 Wisconsin Act 68 aligned with the federal Farm Bill. Effective January 1, 2022, the WI hemp program transferred to the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program; producers now license through the federal Hemp eManagement Platform. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) retains consumer-product oversight. Brian Kuhn directs DATCP’s Bureau of Plant Industry.

Acreage and Licensee Counts

2018: 180 growers, 1,872 acres; 78 processors registered.
2019: ~245 grower permits; 99 processor licenses.
2024 National Hemp Report: 460 acres planted, 320 harvested; 85% floral hemp (up from 19% in 2021); price ~$55/lb; utilized production value $8.5 M (2.2% of US total).
November 13, 2025: 470 active USDA-licensed hemp producers in Wisconsin.
Industry size: Per Gov. Evers Feb 27, 2026 letter: "$700 million in economic production, including nearly 3,500 workers."

The Wisconsin Hemp Heritage

Hemp was once a major Wisconsin crop:

By 1917: 7,000 acres dedicated to hemp farming.
By the 1940s: Wisconsin led the nation in industrial hemp production.
The Rens Hemp Company of Brandon, which closed in 1958, was the last legal hemp producer in the United States before federal prohibition was complete.

The 2018 Farm Bill federal hemp legalization restored Wisconsin’s hemp legacy after a 60-year prohibition gap. The 2017 Act 100 state framework operationalized the federal authorization. The 2022 USDA transfer integrated Wisconsin into the federal hemp regulatory framework.

The Federal Cliff Threatens the $700M Industry

The November 2025 stopgap-spending-bill language imposed a new federal cap of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container on hemp products, effective November 12, 2026. The new standard would functionally end most current Delta-8/Delta-9/THCA formulations. Industry advocate Tim Frey of Ignite Dispensary and Cigar has characterized the loss as "Wisconsin’s half a billion dollar" issue. See federal cliff page.

The Evers Congressional Letter (Feb 27, 2026)

Gov. Evers’s February 27, 2026 letter to Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation cited the Wisconsin State Journal’s reporting on the hemp industry’s economic impact and urged federal action to prevent the November 12, 2026 cliff from devastating the industry. The Evers letter is corroborated in the February 13, 2026 Shepherd Express op-ed and multiple November 2025 Wisconsin Examiner reports.

Hemp Producers Across Wisconsin

The 470 active hemp producers (Nov 2025) are distributed across Wisconsin counties, with concentrations in:

Western Wisconsin (Vernon, Crawford, Trempealeau, La Crosse counties).
Central Wisconsin (Marathon, Wood, Portage counties).
Northern Wisconsin (Sawyer, Ashland, Bayfield counties).
Smaller eastern Wisconsin operators.

The geographic distribution reflects the agricultural base of Wisconsin’s rural economy. Hemp producers operate alongside dairy farms, cranberry bogs (Wisconsin is the nation’s largest cranberry producer), ginseng farms, and traditional row crops.

The Wisconsin Hemp Alliance

The Wisconsin Hemp Alliance (President Rob Richard, wishemp.org) is the principal trade association for licensed hemp producers and processors. The Alliance has been the principal lobbying voice on:

The November 12, 2026 federal cliff — advocacy for repeal or implementation delay.
State-level hemp-restriction bills SB 644 and SB 499 — advocacy for industry-specific carveouts.
USDA hemp regulation — comment submissions on rule-making.

Practical Notes

Hemp producers must license through USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program.
State industrial hemp licensing repealed effective January 1, 2022 (transferred to USDA).
DATCP retains consumer-product oversight (testing, labeling, contamination).
Federal cliff Nov 12, 2026 imposes 0.4 mg THC/container cap.
State-level bills SB 644 + SB 499 pending as of May 2026 would tighten WI hemp definitions further.