(a) A license holder may not harvest a hemp plant or plant intended or believed to be hemp unless a representative sample of plants from the plot where the plant is grown is collected before harvest and subsequently tested using post-decarboxylation, high-performance liquid chromatography, or another similarly reliable method to determine the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the sample in the manner required by this subchapter.
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), a representative sample of plants from a plot consists of cuttings taken from at least five plants throughout the plot. The department by rule shall prescribe the minimum distance between plants from which cuttings may be taken based on the size of the plot.
(c) A laboratory performing preharvest testing under this section shall homogenize all the cuttings in the sample and test the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of a random sample of the homogenized material.
(d) This section does not prohibit a license holder from harvesting plants immediately after a preharvest sample is collected.