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PublishedDecember 8, 2020
Marijuana has grown to become Maine’s most valuable crop
Cannabis is now Maine’s most valuable crop, besting the state’s signature agricultural products such as potatoes, milk and blueberries. Medical marijuana sales totaled $221.8 million from January through October, more than double what had been sold by this time last year, according to state sales tax figures. That puts the industry on pace to hit $266 million in sales this year despite a global pandemic that has …
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PublishedJune 25, 2020
Trump: Lobster industry deserves cut of farming trade bailout
The trade-battered lobster industry may be eligible for future agricultural relief paid out to farmers hurt by the U.S.-China trade war. On Wednesday, President Trump ordered Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to consider including seafood producers, specifically the U.S. lobster industry, in any future federal agricultural assistance offered to food producers impacted by China’s retaliatory tariffs. Over the …
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PublishedMay 8, 2020
Maine nets $20 million in federal bailout of U.S. fishing industry
Maine is in line to get $20.3 million to help its battered seafood industry weather the COVID-19 storm. The award comes out of the $300 million in federal funding included in the CARES Act to help the U.S. fishing industry survive pandemic-related economic losses. Maine’s award was the fifth-highest out of 31 states, trailing only Alaska, Washington, Massachusetts and Florida. It’s unclear how the funds will be …
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PublishedMay 1, 2020
Portland poultry plant will be idled after COVID-19 outbreak
Tyson Foods will idle its Portland plant this weekend after an outbreak of COVID-19 there. The multinational company will suspend operations at the 150,000-square-foot poultry processing plant Saturday, Sunday and Monday, May 2-4, so it can conduct deep cleaning and sanitation of production and common areas while universal employee testing is underway, said spokesman Worth Sparkman. “We’ve been evaluating and …
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PublishedApril 10, 2020
Pandemic puts Maine recreational marijuana market on hold
The coronavirus pandemic has compelled the state to put its planned June debut of the state’s long-awaited recreational cannabis market on indefinite hold. “It now appears as though a spring launch of Maine’s adult use industry is simply unrealistic,” said Erik Gundersen, director of the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy. “Public health experts have clearly communicated that they cannot answer what social distancin…
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