ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 4, 2020
Maine officials said the federal government has signed off on the state’s plans for the production of hemp, a growing piece of the state’s agriculture industry. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says Maine’s hemp program began in 2016, when it consisted of one grower who harvested seed from less than an acre. The departments says the program now includes 110 outdoor licenses and 362 licensed acres of planted hemp, as well as seven indoor grower licenses with more than 22,700 licensed square feet planted.