Governor Janet T. Mills (D) at the Signing Ceremony Yesterday in The County.
Yesterday, in Aroostook County, Governor Janet T. Mills (D) celebrated transformative investments by her administration to strengthen Maine’s vital potato industry and family farms in Northern Maine.
At the University of Maine’s Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle and Penobscot McCrum in Washburn, the Governor highlighted how these investments in agricultural innovation and manufacturing are advancing cutting-edge research, expanding potato processing capacity and supporting hundreds of jobs across The County.
Maine’s $1.3 billion potato industry is deeply rooted in The County, with 90 percent of the state’s 54,000 farmed acres located there, according to the Maine Potato Board. The Governor is the proud granddaughter of potato farmers in Ashland.
“These investments — whether in agricultrual research, potato processing, or workforce development — will strengthen Maine’s agricultural economy, create good-paying jobs, and help our family farms thrive for years to come,” said Governor Mills “As the granddaughter of potato farmers from The County, I am deeply proud to support this vital industry which contributes so much to Maine.”
At the Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, Governor Mills and University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy cut the ribbon on a $3 million modernization project. The initiative, supported with Federal funds through the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, will drive innovative agriculural research and development — such as new potato varieties like the Caribou Russet — to strengthn Maine’s agricultural economy and grow its workforce for the future.
The 425-acre farm is home to more than 6,000 research plots and breeding innovations that help make potatoes Maine’s top agricultural commodity. New drone technology, phenotyping and imaging equipment, and automated monitoring tools will allow UMaine researchers to more efficiently develop disease and climate-resilient potato varieties in less time In addition, the Aroostook Farm offers students from UMaine, UPI and UMP hands-on research experience through paid internships.
The bipartisan legislation, which will take effect this fall, provides tax credits to support the growth of potato processing in The County, including the recent expansion of Penobscot McCrum’s Washburn facility, which now employs 145 people. The bill also supports a new potato chip manufacturing plant under construction at Loring Commerce Center in Limestone, expected to create up to 100 jobs when it opens in 2026.
“Modern research facilities are necessary to deliver the skilled talent and cutting-edge innovation Maine needs to compete in the 21-st century global economy. The new state-of-the-art facility will accelerate the development of future varieties and a workforce necessary to the resilience of Maine’s top agircultural community and dependent rural communities, while providing hands-on research learning experiences for our students that prepare them for rewarding careers,’ said UMaine President and UMS VIce Chancellor for Research and Innovation Joan Ferrini-Munday. “We are grateful to Governor Mills and the Legislature, as well as our industry partners, for the investments that made possible the modernization of Aroostook Farm and UMaine’s continued contributions to the success and sustainabiity of Maine’s iconic potato industry.”