Wonderful growing and harvesting weather adds to what results in a good crop of just about any field grown produce item. But farmers don’t take such years for granted.

Bob Davis, president of Maine Farmers Exchange, headquartered in Presque Isle, ME, told The Produce News that he is highly grateful for the phenomenal crop that his growing partners have harvested this year.

“As of today we’re about 75 percent through the harvest, and by this weekend we will have the majority of the potatoes out of the ground,” he said on Oct. 6. “In fact, I have some seed growers who are already finished.”

Lots of action in a Maine potato field. The previous week there was some light rain — about an inch to inch-and-a-half — in the northern part of Aroostook County, but the ground was dry so it absorbed the moisture very well. Davis said everyone was back out in the field with hardly a delay.

“Yesterday I spent the day in Maine and New Brunswick looking at different farmers’ crops,” he added. “Those in the northern areas are harvesting exceptional crops, and those in the southern regions are harvesting average size crops. This is due to the northern areas getting more moisture during the growing season.”

But all of MFX’s growers have very good to excellent quality, with great potato shapes and sizes.

“I really don’t remember seeing a crop this exceptional in yields and quality,” noted Davis. “While we haven’t started packing yet, from what I can see going into storage, we will have nice sizes for distribution. The potatoes are not too big and not too small.”

He said this is definitely one of those years that the company will be happy to sell potatoes because the quality is great straight across the board on all varieties. Davis then pointed out that everyone is hoping that they can get a better price in the coming year, which is badly needed by producers.

“We never recovered from last year’s poor prices,” he said. “And prices were still low during this past summer. When everyone in Maine and New Brunswick has their crops harvested, we may see some better prices. This would be a real blessing for the growers. Word is out that Prince Edward Island is running a bit late this year, so this may also help us in the market.”

In all, MFX will have enough potatoes, including seed potatoes, to meet its customers’ demand.

The company’s warehouses and farmers continually work on food-safety initiatives. Davis said the road never ends with food safety, traceability and today, even sustainability.

“We constantly monitor all of these programs,” he said. “It’s a given that today you are never finished with them. Rather it’s a continuing effort to get better and better at delivering good quality, healthy and safe food to consumers.”

He pointed out that the company also monitors its water use carefully. This region of North America benefits from receiving the majority of its moisture from Mother Nature, as compared to many areas that are dependent on irrigation every season.

“Our area has about the lowest impact on aqua systems,” said Davis. “Our farming practices result in a very small footprint on the environment because of the natural climate conditions here. In fact, we have less environmental impact that any other potato producing area that I know of.”

He added that occasionally growers will have to turn water on in their fields, but it’s rare, and it’s never a continual issue.

“We are good stewards of the land, and we’re proud of that,” said Davis. “And we’re looking forward to a good season. The quality of our potatoes should be out of this world this year, and the crop is a nice controllable size.”