Contact:
Contact: Timothy Hobbs
Director of Development/Grower
Relations
744 Main Street
Presque Isle, ME 04769
(207) 769-5061
Maine
Potato Board Announces
Farm
Family of the Year
(Presque Isle) – The Maine Potato
Board has announced the Campbell Family of Exeter has been named the 2004 Farm Family of the Year.
Brian and Sheila Campbell, along
with their son Jeff and his wife Dawn, come from a long farming tradition to
operate Campbell Farms today. Brian and
Sheila Campbell purchased their current farm with land in Garland and Exeter in
1984. Jeff joined the operation after
receiving a degree in economics from James Madison University in 1987, making
him the fourth generation to farm the Campbell land. In 1992 Jeff married Dawn Cole.
They are the parents of two sons, Cole age 9, and Brody age 7. Dawn currently does the bookkeeping for
Campbell Farms.
Carl R. Smith (Sheila’s paternal grandfather) purchased the farm in Exeter, Maine in 1917. At that time it was mainly orchard land that he eventually cleared for farmland. A sawmill was built and the timber was shipped for building wooden ships during World War I. After the land was cleared and another farm purchased, he began an extensive farming operation that included potatoes, wheat, hay as well as livestock.
In the early 1960’s Stewart Smith (Sheila’s brother) purchased the farm from
his grandparents and grew processing potatoes. In the 1960’s Brian began
working for Stewart and started growing a few potatoes on his own. By the
1970’s Brian was leasing the farm and growing 100 acres of chip stock potatoes.
Over the past five years their
potato acreage has increased from 130 to 260.
Campbell Farms ships all potatoes to Frito Lay. Brian and Jeff continuously work toward the
goal of growing and shipping potatoes that meet and exceed quality standards. To that end, they have built a new storage
facility and retrofitted a second facility to include variable speed fans and
humidicells. They have increased acres irrigated to about 70% to improve
quality and consistency. The Campbells
continuously seek innovative farming practices; for example, they have
established an agreement with two local dairy farms to exchange ground, which
extends rotations and adds soil amendments to the ground. They also work to build partnerships with
other growers to achieve economies of scale.
Brian Campbell believes participation in state and national offices provide a wider view of the potato industry. He has been very active in the potato industry on the local, state and national levels. He was a former member of the Maine Potato Board. He currently serves on the research committee. He was a director of the National Potato Council and served two years as a vice president. He also served on the Agricultural Research Service Committee. In 2002 he received from the National Potato Council the Golden Potato Award for dedicated service to the industry. Brian was also former member and chairman of the Penobscot County ASCS committee. Over the years he has been involved in various town committees and service organizations.
Brian Campbell expresses optimism about the future of his family’s business. “By controlling costs and maintaining quality, the Campbell farm can grow and be profitable while supplying the potato chip market,” Campbell explained. “The key to success for the next generation will be to consistently exceed the standards of the market so as to maintain contracts for our product.” He is also optimistic about the Maine potato industry. He believes that with attention to developing markets and exceeding standards, the industry can be prosperous. Brian is now semi-retired, and he and Sheila spend part of the year in Florida. The Campbell Family is proud to work in a family business of planting, nurturing, and harvesting a quality crop of potatoes.
Donald Flannery, Executive Director of the Maine Potato Board, expressed the Board’s congratulations to the Farm Family of the Year. “The Campbell family has been a credit to the potato industry for years,” Flannery said. “They have remained active in many facets of the industry, constantly working to ensure the future success of the Maine potato industry. We appreciate their continued hard work and support of the industry.” The Campbell family will be honored at the Industry Dinner during the annual Potato Blossom Festival.