Energie en Milieu from Maine

Gov. Mills and UMaine leaders reopened the modernized Aroostook Farm after a USD 3 Million upgrade, boosting Maine’s potato research with advanced tech to speed new variety development like the Caribou Russet, supporting jobs and the agri-economy.

Lawmakers toured Aroostook County to explore Maine’s potato industry, seeing innovative tech and learning how policy affects farming. The trip aimed to boost understanding of agricultural challenges and support.

DNA science is gaining ground in agriculture, and researchers are using it to develop potatoes that will thrive in Maine’s changing climate.

Potato processor McCain Foods is building five solar facilities in Maine, that it says will help power the production of french fries in Easton, one of its largest plants.

This year’s potato harvest was met with an unrelenting drought that diminished crops and tied up water resources for Aroostook County, Maine farmers.

When Leah Cook and her family moved to the St. John Valley 15 years ago and took up organic gardening and raising animals on their Grand Isle farm, she said more than one resident dismissed them as “hippy farmers.”

President Obama signed into law revisions to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that ease compliance for farms across Maine.