The Maine Potato Board of Directors recently honored Flewelling Farms of Easton as their 2016 Farm Family of the Year. Congratulations to Bruce Flewelling, who is the fifth generation of Flewelling’s legacy and manages the 900 acres of potato fields. Also involved in the operation are his two sons, Nicholas and Christopher.
Bruce’s dad Jerry, who considers himself semi-retired, can still be found assisting in the operation; including loading potatoes, running farm equipment, driving truck and combining grain.
The Flewellings currently supply potatoes to McCain Foods and Frito-Lay. They were honored at the Maine Potato Board annual meeting in July and participated in the Potato Blossom Festival parade.
They have seen many changes in the industry over the years. They emphasize the importance of exploring new technology while also evaluating its overall effectiveness and benefits to their business.
“Today’s equipment is so much bigger and faster. It costs a lot more too but provides so much more efficiency,” said Bruce Flewelling.
These days, the sixth generation farm boys use GPS run equipment in the fields.
“We’ve invested in the technology on our equipment and the result is amazing. My sons have been trained in this new technology and it’s exciting for them to take the lead in this endeavor,” he added.
The Flewellings continue to serve many community and industry boards as they have over the years and acknowledge it’s very difficult for a young grower to get into the industry if they do not come from an established growing operation.
Bruce Flewelling is a longtime member of the board of selectmen in Easton, Maine Potato Growers’ board of directors and the Agricultural Bargaining Council (ABC). His father has also served on the ABC and on the MPG board.
The first Flewellings arrived in this country in the 1800s from Wales and entered the United States through River de Chute, Canada, which borders Easton. Jerry grew up farming with his father, A. Fenton, until he married his high school sweetheart Suzie Hoyt in 1960. The couple settled on the family farm and raised their children. Suzie remained on the farm until her passing in 2015.
Bruce grew up on the farm and knew as a young boy he was going into farming. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture mechanization from the University of Maine. Bruce and his wife, Valorie, met while attending college. While Valorie didn’t grow up on a farm, she soon found out what it meant to be a farmer’s wife from her mother-in-law as a role model. She learned that living on the farm required women to play an important role. Suzie set the bar high. She could jump into a tractor or truck and be in the field in a moment’s notice. Her radio was always attached and she was willing to run for parts, serve meals and do anything else that was needed.
In the earlier years, Valorie worked off the farm during the day. Today, she takes time off during harvest season and whenever needed. Much like Suzie, she is happy to deliver lunches, keep work clothes clean and a hot meal waiting at the end of a long day. In an effort to keep up with issues facing agriculture today and the role of women in agriculture, Valorie is a member of the Maine and American Agri-Women.
Bruce and Jerry acknowledge it is almost impossible for a young grower to get into the industry if they do not come from an established growing operation.
“The land, equipment, storage, markets are all very difficult to start from scratch,” said Bruce. “I was fortunate to be a member of a farming family, as are my boys. I’m confident in the health of our industry here in Maine as it will provide a future for the next generation. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s what makes us content at the end of the day.”
