HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Just outside a subdivision overlooking Lake Helena, a sandy, 12-acre field scattered with sagebrush and gopher holes lies almost barren. Sparsely strewn throughout the dry tilled field, little green sprouts no taller than an inch cling to the last bit of moisture from the spring rains.

They aren't alfalfa sprouts, not bean sprouts, not anything one could find in a grocery store. They're hemp — a close relative of marijuana — but with insignificant levels of the drug's psychoactive effects.

Montana's Industrial Hemp Pilot Program is underway for the first time this year, al...