The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development today unveiled results from the state’s 2019 Industrial Hemp Ag Pilot Program Final Report, marking the successful completion of the freshman year of the new program.
In total, respondents reported they anticipated on planting 8,749 acres of hemp outdoors and 424,191 square feet of hemp indoors for the 2020 growing season. This represents an increase in the total amount of outdoor hemp acreage for the 2020 season by approximately 134 percent.
Participants in the 2019 pilot program were required to enter into a research agreement with MDARD. Under the agreement, each registered grower or licensed processor-handler was required to submit a research report to MDARD after the end of the 2019 growing season. The results of the survey submissions are summarized in the report.
“Feedback from the surveys provided the department with invaluable feedback as we move into the second year of growing and processing hemp in Michigan,” says Gina Alessandri, MDARD’s Industrial Hemp Program Director. “Their feedback gives us a better understanding of the challenges they faced, so we can build a solid foundation for a long-term successful hemp crop.”
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