Growing Hemp in Maine
Friday, March 6, 2020
8:30 AM to 4:45 PM
Jeff’s Catering, Littlefield Drive, Brewer, Maine*
Cost (includes refreshments and lunch):
- $50 per person early registration before February 7, 2020
- $75 per person after February 7, 2020
NO Refunds after March 2, 2020
*Satellite sites for viewing the conference will be available at the UMaine Extension Aroostook County office in Presque Isle and the UMaine Extension Somerset County office in Skowhegan. No food will be included at these sites. $75 per person.
Interest in hemp production has increased significantly with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Hemp can be grown to produce grain, fiber, and medicinal products.
There are specific rules and licensing requirements that affect the production of this crop in the State of Maine. At this conference, we will be discussing newly changed licensing requirements/regulations, production, pest management, harvest, drying, and processing, as well as potential markets and economics of the crop. Come learn the latest on regional research and network with others either currently growing or planning to grow this crop.
Note to participants: No plant materials allowed. You are welcome to take pictures of your plants and your operation for our speakers to review.
Pesticide CCA Credits available.
Speakers
- Dr. Alicyn Smart, UMaine Extension, plant pathologist
- Dr. John Jemison, UMaine Extension, soil and water quality specialist
- Dr. Matt Wallhead, UMaine Extension, horticultural specialist
- Dr. Jonathan Malacarne, UMaine School of Economics, Agriculture Economist
- Gary Fish, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, state horticulturist overseeing hemp licensing in the state of Maine
- Dr. Heather Darby, UVM Extension agronomy specialist, conducting research in hemp cultivars and growing techniques in the northeast
- Dr. Scot Waring, director of eLucidation LLC, a Vermont-based business providing scientific and professional services to the hemp industry
- Mary Yurlina, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, hemp program inspector
Agenda (Tentative)
8:30 AM: Registration and Refreshments
9:00 AM: Welcome and Overview
9:10 AM: Basics of Growing Hemp: Grain, Fiber, and CBD (Part 1), Heather Darby, UVM
10:00 AM: History of Hemp in Maine, Mary Yurlina, MDACF
10:20 AM: BREAK
10:30 AM: Basics of growing Hemp (Part 2), Heather Darby, UVM
11:15 AM: Production Systems in the Western U.S: Outdoor Cropping and Soil Testing, John Jemison, UMaine Extension
11:45 PM: Questions?
Noon: LUNCH
12:30 PM: MOFGA Clean Cannabis Producers Program, Chris Grigsby, MOFGA
12:45 PM: Indoor Production: Under Lights and Greenhouses, Matt Wallhead, UMaine Extension
1:15 PM: How disease happens & diseases of hemp, Alicyn Smart, UMaine Extension
2:15 PM: BREAK
2:30 PM: Processing and Value-added Marketing, Dr. Scot Waring, eLucidationsci.com Processing
3:00 PM: Economics of Production and Marketing (University of Tennessee Industrial Hemp Extract Production Budget 2019), Jonathan Malacarne, New Ag Economist
3:30 PM: What It Takes to Get a License — Updated Rules, Gary Fish, MDACF
4:30 PM: Pesticide and CCA Credits and Evaluation, John Jemison and Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension
4:45 PM: Adjourn
Directions
Contact Information
For more information:
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Diagnostic and Research Lab, Pest Management Unit, 17 Godfrey Dr., Orono, ME 04473-1295
Phone: 1.800.287.0279 (in Maine)
Email: theresa.eldridge@maine.edu
If you need a reasonable accommodation:
Please contact Terri Eldridge at 207.581.3878 or 1.800.287.0279 (in Maine) by February 21, 2020. If requests are received after this date, we may not have sufficient time to make necessary arrangements.