The application period for the 2023 GAPC Certification program is open! All growers participating in the GAPC Certification program must apply every year in order to maintain Certification.

How to apply

1. Visit www.gapconnections.com

2. In the upper right hand corner, find "Log In" then "Log In to View Member Tools"

3. Enter your 6 digit Grower ID and password. 

4. From the Grower Dashboard find, "Apply for Tobacco (or Hemp) Certification", "Start Tobacco (or Hemp) 2023".  

5. Complete the application. You have come to end when payment is submitted. Payment will be processed upon approval. 

Growers may also call GAPC to request a paper copy by mail. Paper applications are an additional $50. 

More information about the Tobacco and Hemp GAPC Certification programs can be found on our website. 

Deadline to apply is April 15. Any application submitted after April 15 is subject to a $100 late fee and will only be approved if the Monitoring Firm has capacity to add a Monitoring Visit to their schedule. 

Self Assessment

After the application has been approved, growers may begin working on the Self-Assessment. The Self-Assessment is a requirement for all growers going through the GAPC Certification Program and is one per operation. The self-assessment can be found by logging into the Grower Dashboard and clicking "Tobacco Grower Self-Assessment". The Self-Assessment is required to be completed by the 2023 monitoring visit. 

The future of hemp starts with you. Establishing a higher standard across the industry requires accountability and collaboration at every step of the way. The GAPC Hemp Certification Program was developed to increase transparency and foster an environment which promotes sustainability, safety, compliance, profitability, and competition.

Not a current GAPC Grower member? Get started today by visiting www.gapconnections.com. Upon the completion of the grower registration form you will be issued a Grower ID number and mailed a Grower ID card. GAPC Grower Membership is required for participation in any of the GAPC Certification programs. 

Growers who successfully achieve GAPC Hemp Certification have the option to  apply with the U.S. Hemp Authority to gain official status as U.S. Hemp Authority Certified.

GAP Connections and The U.S. Hemp Authority ®, will be hosting a free educational webinar on the hemp certification process for growers on Thursday, March 23rd at 6:00 PM ET. You can register to attend live at the link below. The session will also be available online following the event.

North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia webinar dates will be announced soon.

Growers will gain a better understanding of Workers’ Compensation, learn the best management practices for before, when and after an accident happens, and how to bring closure to a Workers’ Compensation Claim.

Participants will earn 1 hour of Additional Labor Management Credit on their GAPC Training Report.

Registration is required to participate.  Register by calling the GAPC office at (865) 622-4606, extension 107 or on our website.

For more information, please contact Amy Rochkes at (865) 622-4606, extension 107 or arochkes@gapconnections.com

US Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Division (NC and SC) to host webinar for agricultural workers in Spanish.  As part of the 2023 Farmworkers Awareness Week, the US Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division in North and South Carolina will be providing a webinar for agricultural workers on March 24th, 2023 (Friday), from 6:30PM – 7:30PM (EST).

This webinar will concentrate on worker protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) and the H-2A program.

This webinar is open to all agricultural workers in North and South Carolina, it is free of charge and will be conducted completely in Spanish; registration to this webinar is not required.

The event flyer includes a direct link to the training, as well as a QR code that workers can scan to access the webinar directly; the QR code is also included below.

The Burley & Dark Tobacco Producer Association (BDTPA) was organized in 2022 following the Burley Cooperative being dissolved and is focused on acting as a unified voice of all tobacco on regulatory, industry and marketing issues.  Representing all types of tobacco, the Association is based in Kentucky.  Current members are producers of burley, dark-air cured, dark fire-cured and wrapper leaf, seed and transplants in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. 

“Our goal is to address the issues impacting the long-term viability of all tobacco farmers across the region,” commented Al Pedigo, President of the Association recently.  “We want to bring producers together to strengthen our efforts to improve the long-term viability and profitability of the tobacco industry for all tobacco producers. We want to do this by banding together to address the critical issues we are facing.”

BDTPA has already been engaged on regulatory and marketing issues affecting growers.  Recently, BDTPA leadership reached out to Congressional members over concerns of limited H-2A visa interview appointments at US Consulates that would delay arrival of much needed workers.  The Association also provided comments concerning recent Department of Homeland Security proposals to raise various USCIS H-2A application fees.  Leadership remains in regular communication with companies who purchase our product to help them understand the challenges our producers face.  BDTPA also works regularly with other grower groups such as the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina and Kentucky Farm Bureau.

The first annual meeting of the BDTPA was held January 19, 2023 in Bowling Green, KY with nearly 100 attending.  Plans are to hold a summer meeting field day in southcentral Kentucky or northcentral Tennessee.  The meeting date and site will be announced soon on the website and in the Association’s quarterly newsletter. 

The Association noted that any group is only as strong as its membership is unified and engaged.  All active tobacco producers are encouraged to become part of the Association and help take control of their future.  Producers can join the Association by visiting Tobaccoproducers.com and signing up from the home page.  There is no cost to join and members will receive a quarterly e-newsletter and updates on key issues as they happen.  Interested producers may also reach out to Joe Cain, Executive Director of BDTPA, to gain more information.  He can be reached at (502) 303-3663 or by email at Kytobaccogrowers@outlook.com.