Harvest is here

    Years and years ago, I remember coming back to Aroostook County during the summer, thinking we had such a "pretty" landscape with the potato blossoms. Then in the fall there was the distinctive smell of harvest. It seemed to me everyone was involved in some way with harvest. Gloves could be purchased everywhere, all the convenience stores had them (good thing, there seemed to always be something the matter with mine: these holes would spring in the fingers from nowhere).     While I might have thought farming, potato-picking, etc. were just great cool things to be a part of during harvest, I had absolutely no idea whatsoever what agriculture meant to our way of life. I had no idea the amounts of money it takes to invest in a crop, or the grit and determination, perseverance and courage it takes to be a farmer.
    For several years before my chamber life I worked for a fertilizer company. One year (perhaps the second year, in the early 1990s) I remember the idea striking me: Farmers were brave. Their whole season could hinge on things entirely out of their control such as something so commonplace as the weather. Unbelievable.
    When I came to the chamber, the emphasis was not, nor had it been historically with the predominant economic development agencies, an emphasis on agriculture. Natural resources were termed as wood, and value added wood products. Manufacturing and the push for jobs, jobs, jobs was, and continues to be, prevalent. The distinction about the type of desirable jobs was a line in the sand, they must be high paying jobs with benefits. Farming seemed disconnected from the main stream business climate within a chamber
of commerce.
    Since then, it seems to me some things have changed. Farming continues along with everything else, in the direction of high tech. Yet at the same time, so few of our young people seem to be involved in the harvest. I believe they're missing a valuable experience. So, join me in considering farmers, our farmers, as one of the single largest economic forces in our communities. We need them, we need to support them, and shouldn't we be encouraging our young people to be involved in some small way, in this part of our community? I've come to the conclusion of course that farmers aren't the only really brave people in our midst, though they're part of the same subset: small business people are really, really brave. Whew. Ulcers, bring on the Prilosec, please.
    I like statistics (well reading them, not necessarily engaging in their creation), and think you may find the following interesting, and in some cases, scary and remarkable.
    In 2003, the USDA published a brochure (which one can still find online) profile for Aroostook County related to agriculture. The introduction states its purpose is "to help all citizens better understand how agriculture is related to every aspect of Maine Life."
    The total number of farms in The County was listed at 889 according to the 1997 census, with the total acreage listed at 324,887. This included pasture, cropland, orchards and hay. In 2004 agriculture in Maine contributed $1.2 billion dollars to Maine's economy and employed 65,000 people.
    In 2008, we planted 56,000 acres of potatoes in Aroostook. The average yield was 265 cwt per acre. Total cash receipts for potatoes as a part of Maine's overall agricultural economic impact was 18 percent. Milk production was at 19 percent, and other livestock and poultry were also at 18 percent. Blueberries were at 12 percent, and aquaculture was at 3 percent. Maine potato business people shipped just over 3 million cwt of tablestock potatoes out of our state from Oct 2007 to June 2008.
    New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have historically been the largest "importers" for this economy. Seed potatoes sent during this same time were at 1.2 million cwt, and the three largest "importers" of our seed stock are Florida, New York, and North Carolina. Maine ranks 5.9 percent of the total potato production in comparison to the other 49 states. Idaho is the highest at just over 33 percent.
    Our agricultural community is too large, and too important to ignore or discount because they do not have traditional storefronts. The average age of a farmer in 1997 was 52 years old. The average age of people in Caribou at the last census update was 41 years in 2006.
    We need to embrace FFA, 4-H and other groups that encourage our young people to consider "farming" or the agricultural economy. Wasn't there a time when all Aroostook County children wanted to be like their friends (who were picking potatoes, or otherwise working harvest)? Hard work but satisfying: measurable. There are several resources I've cited, but the foremost one you might like is: www. Mainepotatoes.com.
    One last topic of nostalgia: Gloves. Wet gloves, can you smell them? How could a basket really weigh that much with wet mud? How could you possibly slog through to the back of the bus with sneakers weighing twenty pounds and all your layers of clothes and that heavy basket. Or worse, dried, stiff mud gloves. Or wet gloves from the day before. Ewwh. And then, crusty dirt til 9 or 10 a.m. Yep, they're going on time, happy harvest!