BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 6, 2022
Maine potato growers have dealt with storage and shipping difficulties having pulled a record harvest from the ground, but the bumper crop also means more spuds are going to markets across the country and into Canada. The state’s farmers planted more potatoes this year — more than 58,000 acres, compared with 51,000 the past two years — and also harvested 168,000 tons more than usual. But where all those spuds go has a direct impact on Aroostook’s and Maine’s economy. Maine’s potato industry produces sales of $540 million, employs 6,150 and brings $233 million in income to the state annually.