Sampling in General
Use only clean, liquid/air-tight and resealable containersWash hands and/or wear sanitary gloves while collecting samples
Sample Containers and Identification
For plant material, in the absence of differing State or Territorial Department of Agriculture regulations, the USDA requires that cuttings be placed in a paper sample bag which is then sealed and marked with sample identification.
Instead of paper, we recommend you utilize a vacuumized “barrier” bag to better preserve the material during shipping and to prevent the natural plant odor from drawing unwarranted attention during shipping.
Sample identification includes sampling agent contact information, name and contact information of the producer, producer hemp license or authorization number, date of sample, and lot identification as provided by the USDA Farm Service Agency. For testing by Clearwater, please include the test requisition number.
For other than plant material Please include business name, sample number, plant lot number, production batch number and test requisition number in the sample identification.
If you don’t have them already, Clearwater provides barrier bags and vacuum sealing equipment for a nominal cost.
Sample Labels - coming soon.
Sample Preparation
To lighten the burden of sampling at the Client location, and to maximize favorable test results within Department of Agriculture regulations, upon delivery, Clearwater will prepare your sample for testing.
For plant material, this includes:
Drying the material so that water comprises approximately 12-20% of the total mass. This meets USDA requirements and hemp industry standard practices, and it prevents over-drying that might destroy desirable compounds or render the material unfit for use in further processing; and Milling the material into a homogeneous form so that it passes a wire screen not larger than 1.5 x 1.5 mm.
This meets USDA requirements and hemp industry standard practices, and it avoids exclusion of components that have reputed health and wellness benefits.
For solids not in powder form, this includes Milling the material into a homogeneous form so that it passes a wire screen not larger than 1.5 x 1.5 mm; or Dissolving the material into a form suited to the test method.