This Metrc Support Bulletin (MN_IB_001) applies to Metrc (Minnesota) and explains how newly credentialed cannabis businesses should set up Metrc and accurately enter beginning inventory so electronic inventory matches what you physically have on hand. This article summarizes the bulletin’s intent, the required Metrc setup steps (tags, strains, items, locations), and the practical workflows for bringing seeds, immature plants, and other inventory into Metrc—plus what operational habits prevent common compliance errors.
What the bulletin is trying to prevent
Metrc beginning inventory is the foundational step that aligns your on-site cannabis and cannabis products with your Metrc account before you begin ongoing day-to-day tracking.
Core compliance goal: Your Metrc inventory must match your physical inventory on hand, including seeds, immature plants, plants, and any packaged product.
Key Metrc concept: There are two tagged inventory types in Metrc—Plants and Packages. Seeds are tracked as packages, and plants enter Metrc as immature plant batches before becoming individually tagged plants.
Ordering Metrc tags in Minnesota (and why timing matters)
Once you are credentialed into Metrc, the bulletin directs facilities to order the tags they will need to enter beginning inventory and support ongoing operations.
Who can order which tags: Cultivation licenses can order plant tags and package tags; non-cultivation facility types generally only order package tags.
Shipping expectations: Tags ship via UPS and typically take about 5–7 days, so ordering early reduces the risk of being unable to tag inventory on time.
Where to order in Metrc: In Metrc, go to Admin on the main navigation toolbar, then select Tag Orders, then create a New Tag Order and place the order after confirming accuracy.
Expedited shipping: The bulletin notes expedited shipping requests are handled by Metrc Support after you place the order (you provide the order number and payment method).
Receiving tags: do not “receive” them in Metrc early
Operational requirement: Only receive your tag order in Metrc after the tags physically arrive at your facility, because receiving in Metrc acknowledges the tags are in your physical possession.
Where to receive in Metrc: Return to Admin → Tag Orders for the correct license, then select Receive for that order and confirm receipt.
Tag errors: what to do when something goes wrong
One-time use tags: Metrc tags are one-time use only.
If you assign the wrong plant tag: Use Metrc’s Replace Tag option when moving plants into the vegetative phase if a plant tag assignment error occurs.
If you assign the wrong package tag: The bulletin instructs you to discontinue the package. When discontinued, the quantity returns to the original source (the source package or harvest), allowing you to create a corrected package with the correct tag.
Admin setup in Metrc: strains, items, and locations
The bulletin explains that after ordering tags, license admins should configure foundational data in Metrc so beginning inventory can be entered correctly and consistently.
What to set up: Strains, Items (product item names), and Locations.
Where to set up: Each is accessed from the Admin dropdown on Metrc’s navigation toolbar.
Ongoing maintenance: You can add additional strains, items, and locations later as needed.
Important limitation: Items can only be updated if the item has not been used previously.
Creating strains for beginning inventory
For beginning inventory, the bulletin indicates each strain you plan to track must exist in your Metrc account so it can be selected during plant and package workflows.
Unknown strain details: If potency or Indica/Sativa genetics are not known at setup time, the bulletin allows estimated entries that can be edited later if needed.
Where to create strains: Admin → Strains → add strains, including name and required attributes.
Creating items (product definitions) for packages
Items are the backbone of package creation and package-based activity in Metrc, and the bulletin emphasizes that adding items may be the most time-consuming setup work.
What an item includes: Item name, category, default unit of measure, and any additional required fields depending on category.
Example from the bulletin: A seed package might use an item name like “Seeds – Blue Dream,” categorized as seeds and associated to the appropriate strain.
API note: The bulletin notes this workflow is also available via the Metrc API; operators should coordinate with their third-party software provider if they plan to manage items programmatically.
Beginning inventory in Metrc Minnesota: required rules and timing
The bulletin’s central message is that all beginning inventory must be entered so the system matches physical inventory.
30-day entry window (newly credentialed licenses): After January 2, 2026, newly credentialed licenses have 30 days to input beginning inventory. After that window, the ability to create immature plantings without a source will be disabled.
Practical implication: You should plan your first month of Metrc activity around (1) getting tags on-site, (2) completing Admin setup (strains/items/locations), and (3) entering and converting all starting inventory into the correct Metrc structures before the no-source planting option is turned off.
New genetics beyond the window: If you acquire new genetics after the 30-day window, the bulletin directs you to follow the New Genetics Workflow bulletin for how to legally bring seeds into Metrc.
How beginning inventory must enter Metrc (per the bulletin)
Seeds: Must be brought in through an external transfer and tracked as packages.
Immature plants: Must be brought in through creation of plantings (immature plant batches).
Plants 8 inches or taller: Must be brought in through plantings and then individually tagged by using the change growth phase option.
Cultivation workflows: converting beginning inventory into plants
For cultivation licenses, the bulletin explains how to take beginning inventory (including seeds, clones, and immature plants) and represent it properly in Metrc’s Plants and Packages structure.
Creating immature plant batches from packages (seeds or immature plants)
If you have a seed package or an immature plant package in Metrc that needs to become planted inventory, the bulletin directs you to create plantings from the package.
Where to start in Metrc: Go to Packages → Active, select the relevant source package, then choose Create Plantings.
Group name best practice: Metrc best practice is to include the strain name and planting date (and, for beginning inventory, it can be helpful to note “Beginning Inventory” in the group name for audit clarity).
Dependencies: The strain and location must already exist in your Admin setup so they can be selected during planting creation.
Planting date: The bulletin instructs using today’s date (the date of entry) for the planting date during this beginning inventory workflow.
Where the batch appears: After creation, the immature plant batch appears in Plants → Immature.
Creating plantings directly in the Plants area (immature plants)
The bulletin also describes creating plantings directly from the Plants section.
Where to create: Go to Plants → Immature → Create Plantings, enter the planting details, and create the batch.
When and how to individually tag plants (Change Growth Phase)
For plants that need to be individually tagged (including plants that are 8 inches or taller), the bulletin directs users to select the immature batch and use Change Growth Phase to move into the next phase and apply individual plant tags as required.
Testing status note for beginning inventory packages
Default testing status: The bulletin notes that packaged product brought in as beginning inventory will come into Metrc with a testing status of Not Submitted.
Day-to-day implication: Your team should expect to see “Not Submitted” on these packages until you take the appropriate next steps under Minnesota rules and your SOPs (for example, sampling/testing workflows where applicable) and update statuses through your compliant process.
Day-to-day operational implications for Minnesota operators
Plan tag inventory like critical supplies: Because tags are required to enter and manage inventory and shipping takes time, avoid operational bottlenecks by maintaining a buffer stock and reordering before you run low.
Standardize naming and location discipline: Consistent location naming, group naming, and item naming reduces corrections, makes physical counts faster, and improves audit readiness.
Train staff on “fixes” that Metrc accepts: Knowing when to replace a plant tag versus discontinue a package prevents compounding errors that can create inventory mismatches.
Hit the 30-day milestone: For newly credentialed licenses after January 2, 2026, the 30-day clock is a real operational deadline. Treat it as an onboarding project with clear ownership, because losing the ability to create immature plantings without a source changes how quickly you can get compliant inventory into Plants.
Labeling and retail readiness: DistruLabels and DistruERP
While this bulletin focuses on getting beginning inventory accurately entered into Metrc, operators typically need to move quickly from “inventory is in Metrc” to “inventory is sellable and labeled correctly.”
DistruLabels: DistruLabels is a 100% free tool for creating compliant packaging and retail labels, and it can help teams stay aligned with Metrc Retail ID compliance by ensuring labels are produced accurately from standardized data.
DistruERP: For larger or multi-department operations that need end-to-end supply chain management beyond Metrc’s tracking requirements, DistruERP is Distru’s comprehensive Cannabis ERP platform designed to manage workflows across cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sales operations.
Metrc support and training resources referenced in the bulletin
Metrc Support portal: Use https://support.metrc.com or access the Support dropdown within Metrc to reach the portal.
Metrc Learn training: The bulletin references Metrc Learn as an interactive training resource with facility-specific course programs. Access is available via Metrc Learn registration and login.
In-system resource library: The Support dropdown in Metrc also provides access to additional guides, manuals, and educational materials.
