Panel plans active marketing of Maine potatoes

PRESQUE ISLE – The Maine Potato Board has outlined a broad approach in marketing, legislation, communication, education and research to help strengthen the industry.

“This is not a day-to-day plan,” Michael Corey, the board’s executive director, said. “It is a proactive approach to dealing with our priorities.

“The board should be the leader in the industry on all these issues and be a strong, visible voice for every segment of the industry they represent,” he said.

Part of that advocacy, Corey said, involves developing a plan that maps out a strategy for addressing challenges faced by the industry.

“This plan should be completed as soon as possible [with] goals and objectives identified and followed in the coming year,” he said. The plan, which was presented Friday during the board’s regular meeting, covers board activities in 2001-02.

Over the last three years, Corey said, there has been a tremendous shift in markets toward processing.

“We need to work with processors to bring franchise owners to Maine to show them what growers are doing to provide quality potatoes for their products,” he said.

The board should actively pursue trends and opportunities in new marketing areas and develop promotions to raise awareness of Maine’s potato production, especially the state’s russet variety.

“The Maine Potato Board has been and should continue to be the voice of the industry in Augusta and Washington, D.C.,” Corey said. “The board should be active in both areas representing the industry in an aggressive manner.”

Irrigation issues, inspection protocols, pesticide regulations and trade legislation must be monitored at state and federal levels, Corey said.

“For the board to be strong, communication must be an important part of what we do,” the executive director said. “It is the key to the success of board programs.”

Issues addressed by the potato board often begin at a committee level and work their way through executive councils before the board adopts them.

“For this to happen there must be good communication with the growers, dealers and processors in Maine as well as between the board and other groups in the state,” Corey said.

Corey said he would like to see the board hold regular meetings around the region ranging from small groups around kitchen tables to round-table industry meetings.

Growers and consumers could benefit from increased education programs, according to Corey, and efforts should be made to give priority to those programs for board funding.

“The public does not understand how potatoes are grown or what challenges growers face in providing food for them,” Corey said. “We need to explore the possibilities of doing more population education on the benefits of potatoes and the industry’s impact on Maine’s economy.”

Growers will continue to rely on information provided through research on new methods in potato production and marketing, Corey said. “Research helps growers know what methods work without risking their farms or crops.”

The board should continue working with state agencies and the university in addition to looking at partnerships in other areas of the country.

A final draft of the 2001-02 plan of work will be presented at the board’s next meeting for approval.

“This plan is key for the coming year,” Corey said. “We need a strategic plan that can be incorporated into this.”