Some rainy weather disrupted the start of Maine’s fall potato harvest, but digging seemed to be progressing satisfactorily by late September.
Presque Isle, Maine-based Cambridge Farms was winding up its harvest the first week of October.
“They’ve had 10 to 12 really phenomenal days in a row here,” said Ken Gad, owner and president.
Early concerns about wet conditions had pretty much dissipated.
“They were able to make tremendous strides getting the crop out of the ground in good order,” he said.
Gad expected average yields with a good ratio of solids to water. A high ratio of solids can cause bruising, he explained, while too much water content can subject the tubers to bacteria and rot pockets.
“I think the crop is going to go in really good shape with enough water content to store a very nice crop and keep pressure bruising to a minimum,” Gad said.
Volume might be a little higher than last year, he added.
Cambridge Farms grows russet, white, red and yellow potatoes.
Learn: More about potatoes from PMG
Fryeburg, Maine-based Green Thumb Farms Inc. expected to complete its harvest by mid-October, said director Mike Hart.
“We’re pretty wet this year, as far as growing conditions go,” he said Oct. 3. “Right now, it seems it’s pretty ideal for digging.”
Hart expected volume to be up a bit at Green Thumb Farms.
“We sacrificed a little bit on the size side, but we are harvesting a lot of potatoes under each plant right now,” he said.
Maine potato growers will see a mixed bag when it comes to size and yields, said Bob Davis, vice president of Presque Isle-based Maine Farmers Exchange.
“We’ve had a challenging growing season” as a result of widespread rainfall, he said. “The rain and the cloudy weather didn’t allow the potatoes to size up completely, like we really wanted them to.”
Some areas likely will have average sizing and yields, while others may have larger or smaller sizes and yields.
Davis expected harvest to be finished by Oct. 20 with shipping underway by Nov. 1, ahead of the holidays.
“We’re looking forward to a good season,” he said.
Caribou, Maine-based Irving Farms Marketing Inc. added a new storage unit to the 40,000-square-foot packing facility it opened last year, said Noah Winslow, who handles sales and marketing for the company.
The new refrigerated, humidity-controlled storage facility will hold 55,000 hundredweight units.
“That’s going to give us greater capacity to deliver quality and consistency for our customers,” Winslow said.
The company also is developing a half-megawatt solar farm that should supply of all the company’s electricity needs, Winslow said.
Irving Farms Marketing is shifting away from round white potatoes and offering more russets as well as red and yellow potatoes, he said.
Volume and yields should be similar to last year.
What makes Maine potatoes
Maine potatoes, grown at the base of Mount Washington in the White Mountain Valley, are special, said Hart of Green Thumb Farms.
The region has its own microclimate and a very sandy soil void of rocks, which allows growers to produce pretty much bruise-free tubers, he said.
“Our quality out of Maine stands out in the potato industry,” said Winslow of Irving Farms Marketing.
He attributed the outstanding quality to Maine’s cooler climate, excellent soil and plenty of rainfall.
“We don’t rely fully on irrigation,” he said. “The natural rainfall is certainly a benefit to us.”
