Hemp potency testing available through Texas A&M AgriLife| AgriLife Today

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.

Three people in a lab setting prepare to run a hemp test through new equipment — Dr. Mark Burrow, center, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, works with Nick Oberle Sr., an Ionization Labs technician, right, while setting up the new Cann-ID equipment and preparing to run a sample. (Courtesy photo)

“While we have one of the best soil, water and forage testing laboratories in the nation, our ability to test for various cannabinoid compounds in hemp was limited,” said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program leader for the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station. “With this new partnership with Ionization Labs, we no longer have that limitation and look forward to helping Texas hemp producers with our new capabilities.”

Redmon leads the Industrial Hemp Education Initiative Team created by Texas A&M AgriLife in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Cree Crawford, co-founder/president of Ionization Labs, Austin, said they are excited to collaborate with Texas A&M AgriLife to bring fast and effective potency results through their Cann-ID testing solution. The Cann-ID allows testing for a full list of cannabinoids and narcotic tetrahydrocannabinol concentration, THC, levels to track compliance levels.

“By deploying Cann-ID at selected strategic Texas A&M AgriLife locations, we will help provide Texas hemp farmers with a powerful tool that can support their cultivation best practices and overall success with this new crop,” Crawford said.

Tools to meet federal/state rules and regulations

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.

“We will be able to test our own internal research samples and samples for the general public,” Provin said. “However, these tests will not be the ‘accredited laboratory’ sample needed in the final stages of growth for legal purposes. This will be more for day-to-day management to aid in altering the profile of THC, because as we know, increasing stresses such as drought can change the THC profile.”

He said AgriLife Extension is…