Maine Potato Board and the Maine
Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station Announce Opening of Potato
Research Storage Facility.
Maine Potato Board Announces
Reception
Slated for October 23rd.
(Presque
Isle, ME) – The Maine Potato
Board and the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES)
at The University of Maine have announced the completion and opening of
their new Potato Research Storage Facility, located on the Aroostook
Farm in Presque Isle. The Board and the MAFES will host a reception at
the facility, slated for October 23rd from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
The Maine Potato Board received a federal
Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant for the construction of
the facility in 2001. EDA funding was used for design, site
development, and construction of the new facility. The Maine
Department of Agriculture and the Maine Technology Institute each
provided additional funding for the project.
The new facility allows for potato storage research, an area vital to
improving product quality and production efficiency as Maine potatoes
reach competitive markets. The new research storage facility will focus
on storage management strategies for new and existing varieties of
Maine potatoes.
The importance
of storage impacts all sectors of the industry, explained Maine Potato
Board Executive Director Don Flannery. “Storage impacts upon
processing potato quality are critically important, especially as
processed potatoes become a major segment of our industry,” said
Flannery. “The future growth of the Maine potato industry is heavily
dependent on the global competitiveness of Maine’s processing sector.
Storage research is a huge component of our success. We are thrilled
to see this project reach completion, and extend our thanks to all
those involved in this endeavor.”
Flannery also expressed his thanks to Maine’s Congressional Delegation,
the Maine Department of Agriculture and the Maine Technology Institute
for their funding toward the project, and to Northern Maine Development
Commission (NMDC) for their assistance in securing EDA funding.
The EDA grant provided $644,000 for construction of the new facility.
The Maine Department of Agriculture contributed $150,000, and the Maine
Technology Institute provided $100,000 for the project. The University
of Maine provided the land. Funding for operations and maintenance
will continue to come from the Maine Potato Board and the
MAFES.
The reception will be held at the Potato
Research Storage Facility on Tuesday, October 23, from 1:00 to 2:30
p.m. If you would like more information, please contact Timothy Hobbs
at (207) 769-5061, or visit the Maine Potato Board’s web site at
www.mainepotatoes.com.
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