Start with the location where you intend to grow. Wisconsin DATCP directs hemp growers to USDA’s Domestic Hemp Production Program. USDA also lists approved tribal plans, so confirm which authority covers the proposed site if it sits in a tribal jurisdiction. Make this check before committing to a lease or ordering seed.
Make a site sheet
Create one record for each proposed growing location. Keep your working notes and application details together so you can update both when a site changes.
- Record the address and location of each field or indoor growing area.
- Note who controls the property and how you’ll confirm permission to use it.
- Sketch where separate growing areas will be and estimate the acreage or indoor square footage.
- Write down your proposed planting and harvest windows. Use ranges while dates are still uncertain.
The site sheet is a planning aid. Use the current application instructions for the fields and records the licensing authority asks you to submit.
Apply through the correct program
For USDA licensing, use the Hemp eManagement Platform, also called HeMP. Start with the producer application guidance. Confirm the application requirements and when the license must be active before you schedule planting.
Once you have the appropriate license, make a separate calendar for acreage and lot reporting, preharvest sampling, and harvest. Keep the site information, license, and reporting references together so the people running the field and handling paperwork can match them.
Before committing to the site
Imagine you’re comparing a leased field with an indoor site you already control. Fill out a separate site sheet for each. If the field location is confirmed but the lease timing is uncertain, mark the lease as a decision to resolve before treating that site as ready. If the indoor site is confirmed but the growing areas are still changing, identify which floor plan you’ll use for the application. The goal is to apply with a site description your team can actually work from.