PRESQUE ISLE – The Maine Potato Board has announced its 2002 Young Farmer of the Year Award.

Kyle Blackstone of Caribou has been named Young Farmer of the Year. Blackstone and his wife, Michele, grow 400 acres of potatoes for processing and seed.

Blackstone is a third-generation farmer who learned from his father that farming is a way of life as well as a business. He operates with a philosophy of incorporating new ideas with old in order to achieve a well-rounded, better-working farm.

Blackstone has implemented several quality-based improvements in his operation. He plans to continue building his farming operation into a strong business by focusing on growing quality potatoes and grains. For more information on Maine’s Young Farmer of the Year, contact Don Flannery at 769-5061 or visit www.mainepotatoes.com.