WEBINAR RECORDING: Navigating the Changing Landscape of State and Federal Regulations

PAST Webinar

Presented: October 19, 2022

Presenter: Brian Koontz, Industrial Hemp Program Manager, State of Colorado Hemp Program

Moderator: Solito Sumulong – AgriThority and ISAA Agrochemical Network

Abstract: Since the 2018 Farm Bill, states and tribes have been tasked with changing Federal Regulations that in turn have created challenges for hemp farmers. In Colorado, a state with a robust hemp industry since the 2014 Farm Bill, the challenge has been particularly real.

Speaker Bio: Brian graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Natural Resource Management, then worked for the USDA Forest Service on the Colorado western slope and in Alaska. After returning to the Front Range, he entered the Urban Forestry and Arboriculture industry and eventually started a business in the Denver area. Thirteen years ago he began with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, namely helping farmers and ranchers understand EPA and USDA regulations. Following the passage of Colorado Amendment 64 in 2012, he soon began doing compliance assistance with the cannabis industry and was among the first in the nation to regulate cannabis on a State and Federal level. Brian has been involved in developing sampling and investigative guidelines for a new and evolving industry and is excited to be serving in a leadership role for the Division of Plant Industry’s Hemp Program.  Website: https://www.colorado.gov/agplants/industrial-hemp