American Seed Innovation & Growth Alliance

Defending agricultural innovation. Protecting seed sovereignty. Securing growth.

ASIGA is a national coalition advancing science-based policy that keeps hemp seed genetics distinct from cannabinoid regulation — protecting American farmers, breeders, and the future of U.S. agricultural competitiveness.

Read the White Paper → Support the Mission Join the Coalition
$445M
U.S. hemp production value (2024)
300K
Jobs in the broader hemp economy
Nov 2026
Section 781 effective date — the deadline

Our Mission

"Seeds are agriculture, not intoxication."

— ASIGA Core Principle

Why ASIGA exists

The American Seed Innovation & Growth Alliance exists to defend, modernize, and expand the United States hemp seed economy by advancing science-based policy, protecting agricultural markets, and ensuring that seed genetics remain distinct from cannabinoid regulation under federal law.

For American farmers, ranchers, and small businesses across the country, this means protecting jobs and economic activity. We ask Congress to protect those American jobs.

As Canada, China, and the European Union accelerate their investment in hemp seed genetics — positioning themselves to capture global export markets — the United States should not be hamstrung by unnecessary new regulation. ASIGA exists to ensure we lead.

What We Stand For

Five pillars guide our advocacy.

ASIGA's policy agenda is grounded in agricultural science and economic reality. We work across five fronts to keep U.S. seed innovation competitive, lawful, and free.

01 / SOVEREIGNTY

Protect Seed Sovereignty

Ensure viable hemp seed remains lawfully classified and transportable across state and international markets — free from conflation with finished cannabinoid products.

02 / PRECISION

Advance Regulatory Precision

Advocate for statutory and administrative clarity that separates seed genetics, grain, fiber, and industrial inputs from intoxicating cannabinoid policy debates.

03 / CAPITAL

Strengthen Capital Confidence

Reduce regulatory volatility that chills private investment, venture deployment, and infrastructure scaling in the hemp seed ecosystem.

04 / INNOVATION

Promote Agricultural Innovation

Support plant breeding, crop science, and next-generation seed development that drives yield improvement, sustainability, and global competitiveness.

05 / COMMERCE

Defend Interstate Commerce

Oppose fragmented or overly expansive interpretations of federal law that disrupt supply chains, trade, and lawful agricultural enterprise.

The Challenge

Federal overreach is threatening the U.S. hemp seed economy.

Section 781 of the FY2026 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 5371) — passed in December 2025 — fundamentally redefines hemp in a way that creates collateral damage for seed growers and plant breeders. Without correction, the November 2026 effective date triggers a preventable market disruption.

The Regulatory Problem

  • Seeds do not contain THC — yet would be regulated as if they did
  • The crop and final product are already regulated; seed regulation is redundant
  • Proposed traceback to mother plant is not implementable in practice
  • Conflates seed genetics with finished intoxicating products
  • Creates interstate transport risk and supply chain disruption
  • Imposes new regulation while USDA is reducing staff

What's at Stake

  • U.S. global leadership in cannabis genetics declines
  • Plant breeding programs collapse; research stalls
  • Insurance and financing for hemp growers evaporate
  • Litigation escalates; markets become unstable
  • Imports and exports freeze at the border
  • Foreign producers (Canada, EU) gain U.S. market share
11/12/26
The Ticking Clock Section 781 takes effect on November 12, 2026. After that date, hemp seeds not traceable to a parent plant tested below 0.3% THC become Schedule I substances — requiring destruction. This is not theoretical.

Our Solution

A narrow, common-sense technical amendment.

The fix is targeted: remove the language in H.R. 5371 that over-regulates seeds. The core THC limits on hemp biomass and finished products remain fully intact. This is a precision change — not a rollback.

Zero Impact on Compliance

This change does not alter the core definition of hemp. All biomass and finished products will still meet strict THC limits. Because seeds themselves do not contain THC, their legal status should be tied to the final crop's compliance — not the parent plant's chemistry.

Essential for Genetic Innovation

To breed stable, compliant CBD and fiber lines, breeders need access to a wide genetic pool. Important traits often appear in plants that may temporarily exceed 0.3% THC during stabilization. The current exclusion hamstrings the very seed development farmers depend on.

Agricultural Jurisdiction

Seeds are strictly agricultural inputs with no use outside of planting. They belong under USDA — not FDA or DEA. Treating seeds as anything other than an agricultural commodity creates unnecessary hurdles for farmers and a regulatory regime USDA cannot realistically administer.

Global Competitiveness

U.S. breeders lead the world in cannabis genetics. We need a regulatory environment that allows continued breeding and stabilization at home — not one that forces dependence on foreign seed imports from Canada or the EU.

Future-Proofing for Medical Research

With the move toward Schedule III, breeders need flexibility to stabilize medicinal traits. These are botanical processes — best managed as agriculture under USDA — to identify and stabilize medicinal properties effectively.

Legislative Ask

H.R. 5371 — Strike the Seed Inclusion Language

Remove the language that adds seeds to the federal THC restriction:

(C) EXCLUSIONS.—Such term does not include —

"(i) any viable seeds from a Cannabis sativa L. plant that exceeds a total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of 0.3 percent in the plant on a dry weight basis"

A narrow, focused change that protects the interests of American plant breeders and farmers — while keeping the new product safety rules fully intact.

Research & Analysis

The definitive policy analysis on Section 781(1)(C)(i).

A formal seven-page white paper written for Congress, federal regulators, and policy staff — combining statutory analysis, scientific evidence, economic data, and ASIGA's recommended legislative remedy.

★ Featured Policy Paper
ASIGA American Seed Innovation & Growth Alliance ASIGA.ORG

White Paper

Regulating Products, Not Genetics: Why Section 781's Seed Exclusion Must Be Amended

May 2026

7pages
5sections
24citations
May2026

Regulating Products, Not Genetics.

A comprehensive statutory, scientific, and economic analysis of why Section 781(1)(C)(i) must be struck — and why action before November 12, 2026 is essential to protect America's seed economy, agricultural innovation, and global competitiveness.

  1. Legislative Background & Statutory Analysis
  2. The Scientific and Legal Paradox
  3. Economic and Industry Impact
  4. Policy Recommendation & ASIGA Ask
  5. Conclusion & Path Forward
Read the White Paper → Download PDF PDF · ~355 KB

Also available — quick reference

Two-Page Issue Brief

A condensed summary of the same arguments for fast distribution — ideal for Hill drop-offs, briefing packets, and stakeholder mailings.

Read Online Download (~680 KB)

By the Numbers

The U.S. hemp economy in 2024.

Official data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service shows a domestic industry that is still growing — and uniquely vulnerable to regulatory shocks.

45,294acres
Planted hemp acreage, U.S.
$445M
Total hemp production value
+482%
Year-over-year growth in seed hemp value
300,000
Jobs across the broader hemp economy

Top 10 U.S. Hemp Production States

1. TexasFloral, CBD
2. South DakotaFiber
3. OregonFloral / CBD
4. CaliforniaFloral / CBD
5. KentuckyFloral + Grain
6. MontanaFiber + Grain
7. ColoradoFloral + Seed
8. North DakotaGrain + Fiber
9. MinnesotaFiber + Grain
10. North CarolinaFloral

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — National Hemp Report

Our Coalition

A cross-sector alliance built on expertise.

ASIGA's legitimacy is built on the knowledge and experience of its members. Our coalition spans the full hemp seed value chain — from breeders and farmers to investors and scientists.

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Investors & Financial Orgs

Venture capital, private equity, and corporate development partners that fund innovation and create value.

⚙

Corporations & Trade Associations

Established companies bringing innovation at scale through acquisition, manufacturing, and distribution.

⚖

Hemp Community

Lawyers, advisors, bankers, and data professionals who enable transactions and operational scale.

⌖

Entrepreneurs & ESOs

Founders and the entrepreneur support organizations that advocate for them and accelerate growth.

✦

Scientific Experts

Researchers and data-driven professionals who understand the science of plant breeding and innovation.

Endorsements

Voices in support of ASIGA's position.

National advocacy organizations, agricultural councils, and seed-stewardship groups are speaking up — because what Section 781(1)(C)(i) puts at risk reaches well beyond hemp.

NIHC National Industrial Hemp Council of America

NIHC supports the ASIGA approach to the regulation of seeds. Seeds and genetics should be regulated according to the content of the seed without traceback to the parent plant. Complex over-regulation will create supply chain disruption and chill the very research we need to innovate the industrial fiber uses of hemp and move the U.S. industry forward.

Over-regulation of genetics will harm the U.S. effort to keep up with China and the EU in hemp genetics and the many emerging industrial uses. The ASIGA approach aligns with the NIHC fit-for-purpose approach.

National Industrial Hemp Council of America
U.S. HempRoundtable

We are aligned with the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, the nation's leading hemp business advocacy organization, on the important issue of regulation for hemp seed and genetics.

U.S. Hemp Roundtable
Endorsement United Plant Savers

As America approaches its 250th year, United Plant Savers stands in opposition to the seed-banning provisions of Section 781, which on November 12, 2026 will criminalize viable cannabis seeds based not on what they contain, but on what the plants they might become could one day produce. This standard is without precedent in American agricultural law.

Hemp was among the first crops sown in the colonies; in 1619, Virginia required every farmer to grow it. Washington and Jefferson cultivated it on their own land. The ropes, sails, paper, and cloth of the early Republic were hemp. To mark the semiquincentennial of a nation that prospered from this plant by outlawing its seeds is a failure of historical memory.

We share the concern that synthesized and chemically converted cannabinoid products have entered the marketplace without adequate testing, labeling, or age restrictions. We respect the need for consumer protection from such products, and we discourage their use. But these two things are not connected. A seed is not a synthetic chemical. A seed is the oldest form of knowledge a plant carries. Banning seeds is not the solution to the dangers of unregulated chemical manufacturing — it is a confusion of categories that punishes farmers, breeders, and seed keepers for problems they did not create.

Our concern reaches beyond cannabis. The principle that a seed can be a controlled substance because of what its progeny might become threatens every seed keeper, every heritage variety, and every steward of the genetic commons. Seeds keep their own time, and they have outlived every law that tried to silence them. We ask Congress to honor 250 years of American seed-saving by striking these provisions from federal law.

United Plant Savers

Timeline for Action

A coordinated 2026 advocacy campaign.

ASIGA is executing a disciplined, quarter-by-quarter strategy to secure a technical fix before the Section 781 effective date.

Q1 2026

Coalition Launch

  • Develop legislative language
  • Hill briefings begin
  • White paper release
  • White House & USDA advocacy
  • FDA & agency communications
Q2 2026

Mobilize

  • Seed Stability Index launch
  • Agency engagement deepens
  • Stakeholder alignment
Q3 2026

Legislative Vehicle

  • Farm Bill, standalone, or appropriations rider
  • Coalition fly-in to D.C.
  • Congressional advocacy push
Q4 2026

Final Push

  • Pre-effective-date sprint
  • Hill closure on technical amendment
  • Implementation guidance

Take Action

Join the Alliance.

Whether you're a legislator, regulator, breeder, investor, or advocate — there's a role for you in protecting the future of American hemp seed innovation.

Fund the Fight

Help us protect U.S. innovation, genetics & leadership.

Our advocacy campaign — Hill briefings, legal analysis, the coalition fly-in, and the final push before the November 2026 deadline — is funded by supporters who believe American farmers and breeders deserve regulatory precision, not regulatory overreach. Every contribution moves the technical amendment closer to law.

Contribute on GoFundMe → Secure donation via GoFundMe

Get in touch

For policy briefings, coalition membership, media inquiries, or stakeholder engagement, reach out directly to our advisory team.

Jessica Wasserman Policy & Strategy jessica@wassermandc.com
Tom Raikes General Inquiries tom@hemp-seeds.com