By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Inn and Convention Center saw a major influx of midweek visitors as The University of Maine Cooperative Extension held its 29th annual Maine Potato Conference and Trade Show on Jan. 22-23. The event was sponsored by Aroostook County Extension Association, UMaine Cooperative Extension and Central Aroostook Young Farmers. One of the more well-known speakers at the conference was Walter Whitcomb, commissioner of the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Whitcomb gave a presentation that included an update on a number of topics spanning the last two years regarding the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, as well as other important farming news and strategies for efficiency.
“Our goal when delivering the update to the conference was to address a number of efficiency methods for farmers, and basically just trying to come up with ways that we can save the farmers some money,” said Whitcomb. “We also work to help combine and match some natural partners, for instance, farmers with pesticide representatives, which is also about trying to better our financial efficiency in the field.”
The conference was full of informational news about farming not only in Maine, but across the nation, as well as a number of speakers and presenters, who ranged from doctors in horticulture to specialists in water quality and soil. The two days saw a number of presentations that covered a vast array of topics that young and old farmers alike could learn from and take back to their respective crops.
“The conference was very well attended and it’s always nice to go to a meeting like this, where several hundred people are really dedicated to learning and mastering their trade. There was a lot of beneficial information relayed at the conference, and the farmers in attendance really want to learn from these presentations,” said Whitcomb.
Topics like “Dealing with Wireworm,” and “Bacterial Ring Rot” given by UMCE Crops Specialist, James Dwyer and UMaine Plant Pathologist Dr. Jay Hao, respectively, were just two of the over 20 doctors, specialists and agricultural leaders, who came to Caribou to share their expertise with farmers from across the state, and a handful who traveled across the border to be in attendance.
As early-rising farmers, the attendants and presenters were up bright and early ready to get the event under way. Soon thereafter a swarm of experts took to the podium to further educate the already adept group of farmers.
The presentations were broken up by a number of door prizes given away by sponsors including Buck Construction, Maine Farmers Exchange, Northeast Packaging Company and many more, who came to set up booths and support the event.
More special guest moderators throughout Wednesday and Thursday included Extension staffers Dr. Jim Dill, pest management specialist, and Andrew Plant, agricultural educator, as well as Sara Corey, a Central Aroostook Young Farmers member and recipient of the 2013 Young Farmer of the Year award. Corey, 23, is the first female and the youngest recipient in the award’s 25 year history.
Corey is also continuing a trend for the Corey Farms family, as she is the second farmer in the family to win the award. Sara’s father, Daniel Corey, was only the fourth ever recipient of the prestigious award in 1992.
When asked about her experience and overall impression of the conference Corey had only positive feedback.
“It was a really good conference. They had a lot of new information this year and it consisted of a little bit of everything,” said Corey. “We had a representative from Cary Medical Center, who came to talk about skin cancer and protecting yourself from sun exposure. Then, there was a presentation about slug issues in potatoes, so there were really a lot of useful topics.”
Dr. Allen Espinosa, from Cary Medical Center was one of the earlier speakers on Wednesday, as he took to the stage around 8:40 a.m. for his presentation on skin cancer prevention and the many steps that farmers in particular can take to aid in the prevention. At 9 a.m. Dill, pest management specialist, continued the steady flow of information and the rest of the two days went by like clockwork.
“This year was perfect because each speaker presented for 20 minutes, and then it was on to the next topic. So, everyone was able to remain interested and the presenters were able to keep everyone’s attention,” said Corey.
This wasn’t the Corey family’s first trip to the conference in Caribou, as she recalls coming to the event for at least the last six years, which speaks volumes to how much time and dedication she and her family have put toward their profession.
“They held a national convention in Texas a while back, and this may be on a smaller scale, but we still had farmers coming to Caribou from all over the state to attend,” said Corey. “We even had some chemical and pesticide company reps coming all the way from Massachusetts and New York.”
Corey has found herself the topic of many news stories since the announcement of the award, but for farmers like Whitcomb the biggest honor is the recognition female farmers are finally receiving from an outside perspective.
“It doesn’t surprise us at all, as farmers. Women have been considered equals in farming for much longer than I think people realize. There’s never really been that divide between male and female farmers that many people might assume,” said Whitcomb. “The stereotypes are certainly terrible and need to be corrected, but this has been a long time coming.”
With the consistently large turnout at the conference and the growing interest among females, in what would appear to be a male-dominated field, there is no reason to think that farming in Maine is dying off. It may be getting tougher and more costly to raise a family and a field of crops at the same time, but if the Corey family’s success and the impressive turnout for the conference are any indication of the future for farming there seems to be a growing interest.
