GM plant grows insect sex pheromones as alternative to crop pesticides, The British entrepreneur who 'turned potatoes into gold – twice', Report: The global potato market hits record highs, Canada's potato growers now have new chemical weapon against early blight. And people were purchasing potatoes for home cooked meals. Maine potato farmers face uncertain times in what is already an uncertain business by Maine Public May 22, 2020 June 16, 2020. Most Read. Sarah Alexander is executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Five Generations of Farmers Strong. Feeds a crowd…hence the name. Source: Bangor Daily News A formal harvest break from school has been a vital part of the history and culture of Aroostook County, Maine, since at least 1945. Source: Bangor Daily News. "The young farmers in the Maine potato industry demonstrate resiliency, enthusiasm and the ability to address whatever issues arise. [email protected] … And many say that they are discouraged by what they are being offered by the United … If you are seeking … But in the weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Maine in March, the potato industry struggled to find buyers amid a nationwide closure of restaurants. Don Flannery of the Maine Potato Board said there has been no heavy rain, just showers, since before Memorial Day. John and Patty Qualey, and their son Josh, of Sherman, along with Tom and Linda Qualey of Benedicta, are the principle operators on the farm. Please send MPN Historical Data, NCS Bios/Email info, Pictures and Website Requests (what you would like to see here) to submissions@themainepotatonet.net. IL (630) 857-4332. Read the full report here, Feel free to get in touch with me, folks! Ammonium sulfate fertilizer application supplies nitrogen, keeps pH low, and provides supplemental S. But with scab-resistant potato varieties and increasing crop rotation, farmers are using other nitrogen sources, such as ammonium nitrate, diammonium phosphate, and urea for … Maine Potato … From our Maine farm we grow and sell many popular Organic Seed potatoes such as Yukon Gold, Caribe’, Reddale, and Adirondack Blue. Consumers nationwide eat Aroostook County potatoes, whether they are sold plainly in grocery stores or processed as french fries or potato chips. [email protected] Most of our Net Control Stations make use of the NetLogger application software to log and keep track of checkins during the net. I own and still enjoy this spread during off hours from my full time passion and jealous master listing, marketing, Potatoes played a vital role in the economic prosperity of the region because of its … Connect with me on LinkedIn Maine potato farmers like Darrell McCrum of County Super Spuds have found their niche in the competitive world market through the processed potato industry. Aroostook County students have been excused from classes for two to three weeks each fall to work for farmers during the annual potato … VA (804) 484-7761. 25. The Maine Potato Net is a Rag Chew Net founded by potato farmers in Aroostook County Maine during the 1970s. A no-frills, no-nonsense daily account of breaking global potato news stories. We have a family farm and raise organic certified seed potatoes in the state of Maine in the … Potato Culture of Aroostook County Maine USA Read … Last summer, Maine potato farmers were dealt too much rain, which led to blight and rot. The brothers farm in Caribou, Limestone and Fort Fairfield, raising potatoes and small grains. In addtion, QRM may compel the NCS to move the frequency of the net from our nominal 3958 KHZ operating point. All of them are worthy of growing on your organic farm or garden. By 1994 however, Maine had fallen to the eighth ranked potato producer and the seventh in the number of acres devoted to potato cultivation in the United States. ME (207) … As dedicated stewards of the land, the McCrum family takes great pride in their longtime commitment to integrity, sustainability, and the highest quality standards. The nominal operating hours of the net and the Net Control Stations are summarized below: Sunday         Phil – KB2WVO or Volunteer, Thursday      Robert – K0PB (Bob – N2FKW is NetLogger on most Thursdays). This past year has thrown several challenges at Maine potato farmers, leading to decreased production amidst the chaos of a pandemic. ME (207) 764-4433. ME (207) 429-8511. In Aroostook County, which is is going through a severe drought, there has been no heavy rain since before Memorial Day, potentially reducing the yield, said Don Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board. Maine Potato Farmers Worried As Northern Maine's Dry Summer Continues By AP • Aug 22, 2020 Potato farmers are worried about their crops as the northern part of the state experiences one of the driest summers on record. A Maine Potato Growers Exchange, organized in the early 1920s, failed because prices were too low. Hello, I’m Andy Mooers and grew up on this Maine family farm. But the results were emblematic of a more significant problem experienced by farmers across the country: new strains of potato virus Y that are harder to spot during production than previous strains, Maine Potato Board Plant Pathologist Andrew Plant said. During that period of high long distance telephone charges, the Maine Potato Net served as a convenient and low cost alternative for potato farmers who were also Ham Radio operators to communicate among themselves over the large area of Aroostook County. Senator Susan Collins: “Maine potato farmers have lost nearly half of their business and could see advance orders for next year’s crop drop by as much as 20 percent due to COVID-19 closures and restrictions on restaurants. This application software is available for download at http://www.netlogger.org/. McCain Foods USA, Inc. Lisk. Maine producers normally grow nearly 2 billion pounds of potatoes a year, a hugely profitable industry centered in The County, according to the National Potato Council. Pick your own (u-pick) potato farms, patches and orchards in Maine, ME. Maine Potato Farmers Face Uncertain Times In What Is Already An Uncertain Business About 60 percent of the potatoes produced in Maine and around the country are grown to supply the food service industries. NU-Seed Corp. Monticello . We also grow many other great Organic Seed Potato varieties, some you may not have heard of! At one point, it looked as if farmers would need to dump nearly half of their 2019 crop, Flannery said. So, please be alert, monitor the NetLogger AIM window (if you have NetLogger), and remember how to use that “VFO Thingy” on your radio! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Filter by sub-region or select one of u-pick fruits, vegetables, berries. The same potato bred to make the perfect barbeque chip may disintegrate if you try to boil it. I’m Jim Gerritsen. But with everything from school cafeterias to sports concessions to in-flight meals canceled, potato farmers are facing uncertain times in what is already an uncertain business. The potato is northern Maine’s primary agricultural product and in the 1940s Maine’s potato production was tops in the nation. Follow us on Twitter English: French-Canadian potato farmers waiting in line with truckloads of potatoes to be graded and weighed at a starch factory in Caribou, Maine; part of a larger immigrant demographic represented in agriculture and factories in Northern Maine from the 18th through 21st century, with larger waves arriving in the 1870s. During that period of high long distance telephone charges, the Maine Potato Net served as a convenient and low cost alternative for potato farmers who were also Ham Radio operators to communicate among themselves over the large area of Aroostook County. The majority of their potatoes go to Frito-Lay, McCain and Cape Cod potato chips. Police face staffing challenge. Thanks to Robert – K0PB for compiling this cookbook. The net operates at a nominal frequency of 3958 KHZ during the late afternoon and early evening. maine potato farmers Support local organic farmers to support your community The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. ME (207) 538-9531. The Maine Seed Potato Board (MSPB) was established in 1945 to ensure an adequate supply of foundation seed potatoes for the state’s commercial seed potato producers and ultimately for the Maine potato industry. Sugar beets, Aroostook County, ca. The commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture serves on the Board along with eight potato producers who represent the seed, table-stock and processing … Maine Potato Board President Don Flannery anticipated that crop yields per acre would be down at least 20 percent, but said he was waiting on actual numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November. Maine Potato Farmers Are Making Barley Pay, Thanks To Craft Beer Boom Daniel D'Ambrosio Former Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. In addition, a customized club profile (“POTATONET.prf”) can be downloaded from: © 2020 The Great Maine Potato Net - All rights reserved. New potato virus strains are troubling Maine farmers According to a Maine Potato Board plant pathologist, the rise in rejected seed potatoes from last … Good morning. About us. It soon became evident that soil conditions, long warm days, and cool nights made it an excellent region for growing high quality potatoes. 1975 Item 15241 info Oakfield Historical Society In the 1970s, some potato farmers in Aroostook County grew sugar beets as a rotation crop with potatoes. Presque Isle. The McCrum family represents five generations of potato farmers who began in the northern Maine town of Mars Hill. You can load the map to see all places where to pick potato in Maine, ME for a better overview and navigation. Green Thumb Farms; Maine Farmers Exchange; Maine Potato Growers; Naturally Potatoes; Penobscot McCrum, LLC; McCain Foods; Smith’s Farm; Wood Prairie Farm; Cold River Vodka; Irving Farms Marketing, Inc. … A four foot wide strip of earth is fertilized (manured) and a trench is dug into the sod on either side. According to a April 18, 2020 press release issued by U.S. Maine Potato History In the 1700’s Irish farmers began planting potatoes in Maine’s rich soils. The rain that poured across Aroostook County in late September after one of the driest summers on record was too late to save the region’s potato farmers from a smaller harvest — down approximately 20 percent from last year, according to a report by David Marino Jr. for Bangor Daily News. Typically try to maintain low soil pH to protect their potato crop from scab issues,. 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