The ability to conduct potency tests for the state’s newcomer crop—hemp—during the growing season is coming to Texas A&M AgriLife soon with the new Texas A&M AgriLife Hemp Testing Service.
Hemp testing software provided in a collaboration with Ionization Labs will allow the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to have the in-season testing capability at three different centers—Lubbock, Uvalde and Bryan-College Station, said Tony Provin, Ph.D., who oversees the AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory in Bryan-College Station.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized federal regulations and guidelines and those approved by the Texas Department of Agriculture, THC concentrations cannot be more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis or the crop must be destroyed.
All hemp growers in Texas must have a license, which requires a background check and third-party crop testing to validate THC levels. The Texas Department of Agriculture offers a list of registered hemp laboratories at texasagriculture.gov.
Ionization Lab is an agricultural technology company with a centralized research, development and TDA-licensed testing service lab in Texas.
