Potato board considers seed farm changes

15 years ago

   LITTLETON, Maine — The Maine Potato Board met Dec. 16, at the Meduxnekeag Snowmobile Club. MPB Executive Director Don Flannery discussed the status of the transfer of the Maine Seed Potato Board to the Maine Potato Board. He hopes that the transfer paperwork is complete by the end of the year. Some planned work at the Masardis-based farm is to convert Greenhouse 3 to a hydroponic facility, which will allow them to do smaller lots of new seed potatoes. This will open the facility up for new business potentials. The plans are for the “new” greenhouse to be up and running by March.
The final tally of the Big E Baked Potato Booth showed an increase over the previous year in the number of potatoes sold during the event. Almost 82,000 baked potatoes were dished out to a receptive crowd. The cost per unit was down to $1.86 this year, down 12 cents from 2008. This project brought a net income of $259,639 for 2009.
Steve Belyea discussed a proposed rule change for the Potato Marketing Improvement Fund to increase the estimated total cost of New Facilities Fund projects to $100,000, up from the current amount of $50,000 set in 1982 when the rule was implemented.
The 2009 Young Farmer of the Year was announced, with the honor going to Gregg Garrison of Blaine. Garrison farms with his father, Wayne as Double G Farms. They grow 600 acres of processing potatoes and 600 acres of rotational crops in fields from Bridgewater to Fort Fairfield.
The appointment of Bruce Roope as the Maine Potato Board representative to the Aroostook County Cooperative Extension was voted on, with all in favor. A plaque that the MPB received from the Aroostook County Extension Association was shown to members. The Robert E. Evans Citizenship Award was presented to the Maine Potato Board on Nov. 19 “in grateful appreciation for your generous support of the people of Aroostook County and of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.”
Dana Wright gave an update on the Potato Marketing Association of North America. An assessment needs to be collected on the 2009 fall harvest production figures, along with a projected estimate for 2010 to use for negotiating new contracts following the January annual meeting. The main goal is to keep any gains already made.
Wright announced that the Basic American Foods facility in Mars Hill is for sale. The company plans to concentrate their efforts on the facilities and products that they manufacture in the Midwest. The Maine facility, as well as their West Coast site, produce a different type of product. He expects them to continue production until a qualified buyer is found.
George McLaughlin, MPB agricultural engineer, gave an update on the Mobile Kubota unit purchased for use by the agency. This will allow easier access to remote sites with less potential damage to roads and land, as well as being easier to clean between site visits, in order to prevent the spread of any disease. The new GPS handheld unit is used to educate farmers about the valuable uses of this newer technology. It can be used for pond layouts, field mapping, contouring, storage facility siting, irrigation, documentation, planting, timing, etc.
McLaughlin also gave a report on the 2009 Anti-Bruise Program. Services were provided to 92 area growers. Inspectors evaluated 636 samples on 39 different varieties, up from 551 samples of 37 varieties in 2008.
Flannery and Tim Hobbs gave updates on some legislative issues regarding water resources and ownership. There seems to be concern about who would have the state and general public’s best interests in mind. Another concern is what might come of forest resource and soil management issues if the water use issue is left up to the state.
Other legislation is looking at changing some rules regarding spray registry, aerial application and buffers. A “one rule for all” decision could bring conflict between different agricultural sectors in the state, they said.
Genetically Modified Organism crops are also up for some proposed rule changes. While most Best Management Practices make common sense, there could be times when what works for one industry won’t work at all for another, they said.
The MPB will be working with different legislative committees in Augusta, and want to work on rules and laws that allow small farms and large commercial operations to co-exist. They also plan to speak with the governor about the concerns of the potato industry regarding budget, consolidation and other issues.
Phil Bosse of U.S. Senator Collins’ Caribou office was happy to report that the President signed the one-year pilot program that will allow heavier vehicles on I-96 north of Augusta. This change will be closely monitored over the year in regard to road conditions, traffic issues, etc. The hope is to make the change permanent, he said.
Barbara Hayslett of U.S. Representative Michaud’s Presque Isle office announced that the Small Business Administration would offer $1 million for upgrading current and unused buildings at Loring Commerce Centre. This will allow the Loring Development Authority to use its limited funds for road maintenance. The LDA roads are not maintained by state or local towns.
The dates for the National Potato Council annual meeting will be Jan. 3-4 in Orlando, Fla. followed by the 2010 Potato Expo on Jan. 4-6. The Maine Agricultural Trade Show will be on Jan. 12 in Augusta. The MPB will be hosting the reception that evening at 5:30 at the Augusta Civic Center.
The next meeting of the Maine Potato Board will be Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 at 3 p.m. in Maine Potato Board conference room of the Harley D. Welch Ag Center, 744 Main St., Presque Isle.