Fields in northern Maine's Aroostook County are starting to get full of many white, purple, and pink flowers. It's the time of year where people start to see potato fields in full bloom. This will mean that by September, hundreds of Maine potato farmers will be harvesting most of the crop, a crop that was hit hard last year by record drought, record heat and COVID-related problems. This year, growers are anticipating a bigger and better yield thanks to favorable conditions.
"With timely rain, I think we are all hoping and expecting we will get a bigger yield. We don't want it to get carried away, that's the problem in the northeast. Sometimes we wish for rain and then we get too much, and with potatoes...too much rain can cause quality problems," Greg Porter, University of Maine crop ecology professor, told potatogrower.com.
"There's optimism that there will be a good supply here, a good quality of potatoes and that the market will be there to take those potatoes," Porter said.
Having a good crop is one thing, getting it out of the ground is another. Farmers say they expect to have a serious lack of help, come harvest time.