Thinking about growing hemp next year? Here’s the latest news on the crop that’s become increasingly popular following legislation legalizing the crop for the first time in decades.

A grower in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom encouraged visitors to pick their own hemp last weekend. It’s one of 900 farms growing hemp in the state. – MyNBC5.com

In Oregon, hemp harvest season is over and farmers are processing and drying their product. Fire crews say some of the drying facilities have caught fire. There have been three fires in hemp drying facilities. – KDRV.com

Farmers in Wisconsin are learning hard lessons about growing hemp. One grower’s hemp surpassed the legal THC limit and the president of a farmer cooperative said the delay in testing could be one reason. As industrial hemp ages, the level of THC rises. The legal limit of THC in hemp is .3 percent.  – WPR.org

In Michigan, the first hemp crop grown legally is being harvested. The state began issuing licenses to growers in April. – Fox17online.com

Legalizing hemp has provided new opportunities and created new problems. Kentucky farmer Brian Furnish says “the whole industry is an experiment.” He was Kentucky’s first licensed hemp grower. In 2017, he had to burn five acres because the THC level was too high. – Politico

Hemp may offer growers outsize profits compared with more traditional crops. – The Wall Street Journal