Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The 2008-09 Maine Potato Board budget was unanimously approved by directors at their June 18 meeting. According to Donald Flannery, executive director of the MPB, the $1,490,760 spending plan represents a projected increase of $229,097. Last year’s actual budget was $1,261,663.
“The majority of that increase – $200,000 – is the money we’re going to receive and expend for a greenhouse project up at the Porter Seed Farm,” he said. “The board approved me to enter into an agreement with the Maine Technology Institute for $200,000, so they’ll give the money to us and then we’ll give it on to the seed farm.”
Flannery said the remaining $29,000 increase is relatively minor.
“That’s everything from travel costs to personnel costs to increased rent because of heating,” he said. “All in all, it’s a pretty flat budget. We’ve changed some line items around, but overall it’s flat funded. There wasn’t anything controversial, and I suspect that’s why it was approved unanimously.”
Flannery said the 2008-09 budget is based on 2,000 acres less than last year and a 10-year average yield.
“Last year, USDA said we had 57,000 acres and when we did the budget for this year, I put in 55,000 acres,” he said.
Twenty-six percent of the budget is for administration, or $393,868.
“Without this part, you can’t do a lot of these other things,” Flannery said of the administrative budget.
In addition, 18 percent of the budget comprises advertising and promotions, or $263,213, while 19 percent ($285,479) goes to general operating expenses. The remaining 37 percent ($548,200) will go toward research and education.
“Research and education is usually where most of the money goes,” said Flannery. “That’s money that is going back into the industry to provide education to growers and do research that growers have approved and have asked for.”
As a way to help boost income while at the Eastern States Exposition, the MPB has opted to increase the price of its baked potatoes at the Big E from $4.50 to $5.
Flannery said the MPB prides itself on being fiscally responsible.
“In our budget, we try to really make sure we’re utilizing the funds in the places they need to be to benefit the industry, and that changes from year to year,” he said. “We try to react to those changes on an ongoing basis, and we try to do the most we can with the limited amount of funds we have.”
