MAINE WIRE (Maine Policy Institute) • April 5, 2023
Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) has proposed legislation that would create two state programs to encourage young African-Americans born in Maine to get into the business of farming by giving them apprenticeships and free land in the state. Hickman’s bill would create two new programs. The first program would be the “Farm Conservation Corps,” a kind of vocational program for 18-29-year-olds interested in learning about agriculture. The bigger part of the bill — and perhaps the more controversial part — would create a taxpayer-funded grant program to allow African-Americans born in Maine and living in Maine to apply with the state for a grant of land.