CARIBOU and PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Aroostook County potato growers are taking advantage of dry weather to harvest the crop before more rain hits.
Following a wet September which dumped 4 inches or more around The County, there’s been very little rain during the past two weeks.
That’s a relief to farmers, who have been plagued with wet weather since planting. Too much water, and potatoes can break down and rot — and rotten potatoes can’t be stored or sold. Losing a major part of the crop would be devastating to the industry, which produces Maine’s No. 1 food product and last year brought in $258 million.
The stretch of dryness has helped County growers avert what could have been a disaster, some said Tuesday afternoon.
“We’ve been digging for 12 days straight,” said Joel Guerrette of Guerrette Farms in Caribou. “In the beginning, we didn’t know what we were going to do. Now there’s a big difference [in the fields].”
So far, potatoes out of the ground have been of a healthy size without water damage, and there haven’t been wet spots in the fields to be concerned about, Guerrette said.
Harvest is halfway complete or more for the farm, which grows 1,300 acres of mostly Russet Burbank and Caribou Russet varieties, he said.
Just over the line in Presque Isle, crews at Clover Leaf Farms reported finding a few wet spots they couldn’t harvest.
“The fields are better,” said foreman Stuart Smith. “There are just some low spots where you have to pick up and go over, with some rot. You don’t want those in storage.”
Overall the potatoes are showing good shape and size, Smith said. He was not sure how the wet spots would impact yield.
There will be some low spots where potatoes will have to be left, Don Flannery, Maine Potato Board executive director, said last week.
When potatoes lay in excess water their pores can soak up the liquid, and the tubers can break down after harvest, Flannery said.
“If you see a dip in the field, that’s where they’ve left some,” he said.
Caribou recorded 4 inches of rain over the first 19 days of September, according to the National Weather Service. From Sept. 20 to Tuesday, there has been only a trace of precipitation.
Caribou meteorologists predicted dry conditions through Friday, then some rain. Sun with a slight chance of showers is forecast through the beginning of next week.
