Presque Isle: Potato growers thankful for season's bounty

On Thanksgiving Day, many Mainers will gather with family and friends around a table piled with a steaming turkey, fresh vegetables and likely a heaping bowl of Maine mashed potatoes.

This year, potato growers in the state will be able to give thanks, too, for the bountiful harvest they reaped. According to statistics from the Maine Potato Board, growers planted potatoes on 57,000 acres for a yield of 295 hundredweight per acreIn total, that translates to roughly 1.6 billion pounds of potatoes harvested this year.

The potatoes grown in the state are headed in all directions. Approximately 65 percent will be used for processing, headed to companies such as McCain’s, Frito Lay, Penobscot Frozen Foods and Naturally Potatoes. Roughly 20 percent are seed potatoes that are shipped to states along the East Coast and down to Florida, while 15 percent are table stock.