1. Before buying seeds or seedlings for hemp, make sure you have a contract that ensures that if the seeds or seedlings are faulty for some reason—they grow male plants instead of female plants, for example—you have recourse.
2. Hire an attorney to go over that contract as well as the contract you enter with the hemp processor who will purchase your harvested crop.
3. The production contract should state how much will be produced, the location of the land where it will be cultivated, quality standards, and THC testing requirements.
4. Read with caution the contract terms for what happens if something goes amiss with the crop, such as the THC level being higher than the limit of 0.3%.
5. Keep records of seed types, yields, tests, and management practices—all of which are important if there’s a lawsuit.
Source: Peggy Hall, lawyer and agricultural and resource law field specialist for Ohio State University Extension