Of the 255 potato farmers in Maine, 90 percent of the state’s potato crop comes from Aroostook County. This easy Potato Soup recipe is quick and easy to make on the stovetop, it’s nice and creamy (without using heavy cream), and it’s always so cozy and comforting and delicious. The vast majority of Maine's thousands of acres of potato … Thus far, Flannery noted, farmers have not detected diseases, blemishes or other causes for concern with their crops. To find the delectable early tubers, gently rum-mage around under the plant, being careful not to disturb the roots. Maine has about 47,000 acres of potato fields. The people are hard working and honest. Free Returns High Quality Printing Fast Shipping Dear readers, if you care to watch the few short YouTube videos below, I believe you will agree with me that modern day potato planting and harvesting machines used by some of North America’s leading farming operations are second to none… The machines featured here were designed and manufactured by Spudnik Equipment Company. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Potato Program team provides information on potato and rotation crop production. Potatoes harvested in the winter, spring and summer account for the remaining 10% of production and fill special market needs, such as supplementing the fresh supply or to ensure … Maine Potato Harvest Basket $ 98.00. The USDA records the latest yield data for harvested potatoes as If you’re harvesting for supper, drive your fork into the soil at the outside edges of the plant. Shop Maine Potato Harvest Banner designed by Admin_CP123444601. But it isn’t business as usual this year because Aroostook County is experiencing a drought of historic proportions, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture declaring The County to be a drought disaster area. While 65 percent of harvested potatoes are shipped to processing plants such as those owned by McCain’s Foods in Easton and Penobscot McCrum—who is in the process of constructing a plant in Washburn—20 percent is devoted to seed potatoes and 15 percent are sold to the fresh food market. For now, Bartlett Farms is safe to continue harvesting for another season. Houlton , Me ., Sept . “It’s hard to tell, but I’d say we’re getting close to halfway done.”. “But the people who were supposed to be on the harvester didn’t come.” Though the Bartletts have had people miss work before, four workers not showing up at once is unprecedented. While last September saw many growers in Aroostook County, Maine, delaying their work in the potato fields due to warmer than average temperatures, this year’s harvest season started with a slight pause due to rain and much cooler early autumn temperatures. But the tradition’s days may be numbered — Maine Potato Board executive director Don Flannery recently told the Associated Press he would “be surprised” if it lasted another decade. Long black pipes containing water and air along the pile ensure the potatoes are stored at 36 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing them from sprouting and preparing them to be distributed. Nearly 90% of potatoes are planted in the spring after the final frost of the season and harvested in the fall. The Northern Aroostook Potato Growers' Association began in 1888, organized through the Aroostook Pomona Grange. LITTLETON, Maine — David Bartlett climbs aboard a large potato harvester machine that’s pulled by a tractor his nephew Cecil Gogan operates. Nearly 25 percent of Maine’s potato production is for seed to supply the east coast. Here at 47N. “He’s here every day. The dryness of the soil can be evidenced in the large dust clouds that form when the harvester traverses the field to gather the crop. While David Bartlett can work on the harvester for the first truckload, he has to be back at the potato house for the remainder of the day, meaning all the tops and rocks must be sorted out at the storage facility. “We can’t produce the crops with no water to nourish them.”. Up until the 1940s, Maine was the nation’s potato capital and Aroostook County — a place so vast that it’s about the same size as the combined states of Connecticut and Rhode Island — … It is day three of a three-week potato harvest in Littleton, Maine, in the heart of Aroostook County, which is itself the heart of Maine’s leading and still-thriving agricultural pursuit. Once full, the truck heads off to a potato house owned by the Bartlett family along Route 1 in Littleton, where the potatoes are dumped onto another conveyor, much of the dirt being sieved out and any remaining rocks and tops are removed, before the crop is placed in a large pile to be stored. Gogan starts the engine, and pulls the harvester while a large truck, capable of carrying up to 150 barrels of potatoes, moves alongside it. These “babies” are your new potatoes; they’re not very big, but they are delicious! Maine Potato Board's executive director said farmers won't harvest if it's too warm because the quality of the potatoes could suffer in storage. Last year's harvest was strong, and this year should have seen about 3,000 new acres brought into production, but the sudden arrival of COVID-19 has changed all that. Carpenter says that number is too small, and the school has to be considerate … It’s a … The 2019 Maine Harvest Festival is presented by the Maine Potato Board. Don Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board, which promotes Maine’s potato industry, said that the poor harvests would create a “strong demand” for Maine-grown potatoes. It was an agricultural boomtown, the largest potato shipping hub in the world during the first half of the 10th century. ► MAINE POTATO FARMERS 'CHIP' INTO THE COMPETITIVE WORLD MARKET Just 15 percent of the students who filled out those surveys said they were actually working the potato harvest. Now that you know when to dig potatoes, the question becomes how. Don Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board, which promotes Maine’s potato industry, said that the poor harvests would create a “strong demand” for Maine-grown potatoes. Last year's harvest was strong, and this year should have seen about 3,000 new acres brought into production, but the sudden arrival of COVID-19 has changed all that. The program, which highlights a different Maine product each month, aims to provide students with local and healthy produce, while supporting Maine’s farmers and producers. The Maine Harvest Festival is set for Nov. 23 & 24 at Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center. Such is another day in the potato harvesting season in Aroostook County, Maine, where farmers from Fort Kent to Houlton will be unearthing the crop that serves as The County’s signature product. Worth an estimated $170 million annually, potatoes remain Maine’s top crop, but many farms now prefer to fill the 1,600–2,000 seasonal harvesting positions with adults, and schools want to standardize the academic calendar. Caribou had been a sleepy backwater until the arrival of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in the 1890s. 7. Thus every bite of a Maine potato includes a serving of humility. Maine's potato harvest is a grueling, four-week marathon of 12-hour days. A Pest Management Hotline has the latest details on the growing season. At Double G Farms in the Aroostook County town of Blaine, the Garrison family produces 14,000 tons of potatoes a year. These soils respond well to irrigation. Casma helps to maximize resources and profitability each potato harvest. To harvest potatoes that will be kept in storage, the plants should be dead for several weeks, to allow the skins to "set" or harden. He said processors had likely already acquired surplus potatoes — those exceeding established contracts with growers — grown in the state because of shortages elsewhere. He characterized it as an "annoyance." Here at 47N. The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that an average of 45,823 acres of potatoes were harvested in Maine in 2017. Usually we finish in the middle of October, but everything is weather-dependent. Order 1 Lb Maine Red Potatoes Online. “There are no ways to make up harvest days once you lose them. It’s a … Prices subject to change without notice. “He don’t know any different, because that’s how I’ve been doing it since I was in high school.”. Our customers will be pleased.”. The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that an average of 45,823 acres of potatoes were harvested in Maine in 2017. The appointees will serve three-year terms. “But we’ve been pleased with what we’ve been getting. https://www.potatogrower.com/2020/08/maine-growers-advocate-for-harvest That’s because Bartlett Farms grows smaller, seeded potatoes, which are easier to grow as opposed to the larger, more recognized russet potato. So began the long tradition of May planting and September harvesting in Maine’s Aroostook County. Potato growers have managed to harvest 85 percent of their fall crop despite recent delays in Maine caused by excessive rainfall, according to the Maine Potato Council. A teen drama set during the fall potato harvest in a small northern Maine town. The potato is northern Maine’s primary agricultural product and in the 1940s Maine’s potato production was tops in the nation. During the 1940 Maine potato harvest, the Town of Caribou bustled with commercial activity. Nobody works as hard as he does,” he said of Foster. LITTLETON, Maine — David Bartlett climbs aboard a large potato harvester machine that’s pulled by a tractor his nephew Cecil Gogan operates. Commodity Planted All Purpose Acres Harvested Acres Yield Production Price per Unit Value of Production in Dollars; POTATOES: POTATOES: 52,000: 51,500: 325 CWT / ACRE Maine Potato Harvest -. Harvesting Your Crop You may begin harvesting any time after the plants bloom, about 60 days after planting. To harvest potatoes, you’ll need a shovel or a spading fork. Lots of different size and color combinations to choose from. The USDA records the latest yield data for harvested potatoes as 325 hundredweight per acre (the equivalent of 18.2 tons), an increase over the 320 hundredweight per acre in 2015. It is day three of a three-week potato harvest in Littleton, Maine, in the heart of Aroostook County, which is itself the heart of Maine’s leading and still-thriving agricultural pursuit. 2019-2020 Post-Harvest Test Book (PDF 2.0MB) These small Chieftain potatoes have a lower level of starch, allowing them to get softer when boiled. David Bartlett used to run the farm jointly with his father, but assumed full control after Bob, who is 80, began to fall into ill health. But by the end of the week, harvest was up and running again and back on track to finish in mid-October. He characterized it as an "annoyance." Harvust is the winner of the seventh annual Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, becoming the 2021 Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year. “He works 100 percent all of the time,” Bob Bartlett said of his son. Day temperatures in the 50s, unusual for late September, also contributed to farmers delaying the start of harvest. Latitude, most potatoes take from 90 to 100 days to mature. maine potato farmers 'chip' into the competitive world market Just 15 percent of the students who filled out those surveys said they were actually working the potato harvest. It was supposed to be a great year for Maine potatoes. We also grow many other great Organic Seed Potato varieties, some you may not have heard of! Maine Potato Board's executive director said farmers won't harvest if it's too warm because the quality of the potatoes could suffer in storage. Maine statutes require that in order for a seed lot to receive certification, a sample must be submitted for post-harvest disease testing at the Maine Potato Testing Lab. David Bartlett climbs aboard a large potato harvester machine that’s pulled by a tractor his nephew Cecil Gogan operates. My grandparents and parents were potato farmers in Idaho, and I knew that the state produced the best spuds in the world. Bob motions toward another man, Peter Foster, one of the workers who did arrive that day, and helps sort the rocks and tops from the potatoes on the conveyor at the potato house. It’s a cool Thursday morning just after sunrise, and the unharvested field stretches out for acres on Foxcroft Road, surrounded by scenic farmland and fall foliage. Matt Kelley, 15, of Fort Kent picks potatoes while Jason Martin (background) loads full barrels on the truck during harvest at the Martin Farm in St. Francis on Oct. 29, 2014. Now in Full Swirnr . Recent economic impact studies of the potato industry on Maine’s economy finds total sales in excess of $540,000,000 with total employment of 6,150 jobs and … But Bob Bartlett doesn’t miss harvest. “It’s a little too early to make a judgment on this year’s yield,” Flannery said. In the coming weeks, potatoes will be sold to commercial suppliers across the country to be turned into things like french fries, potato chips and bags of fresh potatoes for home usage. Rivers have dried up considerably, and potato crops, as with other crops in the area, have suffered due to the lack of water. The USDA announced the appointment of 31 individuals to serve on the National Potato Promotion Board. Another 45 percent is used for french fry processing, 20 percent for potato chips and 10 percent for the fresh market for home, restaurant and institutional raw potato use. November 20, 2019. “If we were russet growers, it wouldn’t be good,” David Bartlett said. With Emory Cohen, Callan McAuliffe, Kymberli Bryant, Zoe Levin. CARIBOU, Maine (AP) - Maine’s potato growers are hustling to make up for lost time after the September harvest was brought to a virtual standstill by record-breaking heat this week. Potato farming took […] Maine Farming..like being in a video with four season gorgeous scenery in Aroostook County. But, in 1940, the Maine Potato Growers, a marketing coop, began, and remained stable. The wide variety of bags illustrates the strong interest in distinctive marketing efforts that is still evident today. “But never anything like this.”, “It hurt our crop tremendously,” Bob Bartlett, his father, said. He can be found helping his son get in the family’s crop, and on this day was working at the potato house. Potato farming took […] Maine io now shipping a little over 200 cars per day and many more are going into storage each day . The 2019 Maine Harvest Festival is presented by the Maine Potato Board. These soils will produce more uniformly shaped potatoes but have a tendency to dry out if there isn’t a lot of rain. 28 . There were a few days when it was so hot we didn’t work in … Maine has about 47,000 acres of potato fields. The process begins with the harvester machine, which lifts the potatoes from the soil and onto a conveyor, bringing up rocks and clumps of the weed-like potato tops along with them. There’s no set schedule,” Flannery said, on Sept. 30. Nowhere will you find higher quality Organic Certified Seed potatoes for planting in fields or gardens. The USDA announced the appointment of 31 individuals to serve on the National Potato Promotion Board. Certificate is available on our website. David Bartlett and his workers will be harvesting nonstop from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. — roughly from sunup to sundown. Soils that are poorly drained tend to produce poorly shaped potatoes and tuber rot. Harvesting Your Crop You may begin harvesting any time after the plants bloom, about 60 days after planting. The harvester scoops up potatoes from the earth and dumps them into the truck, causing billowing clouds of dirt to fly into the air, the dust particles attaching themselves to every surface and blinding the vision of anyone caught in them. Week of activities March 7-13 seeks to increase advocacy for the protection of groundwater, National Potato Promotion Board Members Appointed, Ag Groups Endorse Nomination of New EPA Administrator, New Product: HarvestMaster Casma Potato Yield Monitor, Farm Bureau, Feeding America Partner on #StillFarming Campaign, National Ground Water Association Announces National Groundwater Awareness Week. These “babies” are your new potatoes; they’re not very big, but they are delicious! The MSAD 1 school board voted Wednesday to reinstate the annual fall potato harvest break. 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