Mobilize Maine moving forward

    Two weeks ago, a rather large group of community people met regarding Mobilize Maine’s statewide initiatives. The subgroups have, since April, identified their goals, and are getting down to the business of answering the “What are our Indigenous Resources?” I enjoy bottom lines. I occasionally like the process (ie. the 150th celebration was a journey or a process), but mainly I like goals, bottom lines, and end results. Let’s make something happen: give me a challenge, tell me the project you want me to do, and we’ll make it happen!     The general group format of meetings designed for group discussion (or what those meeting folks accustomed to facilitating large group matrix-making/discourse community/define as “parking lot issues”) for the sake of said discussion, makes me itchy and anxious. What are we going to do, and when do you want it done by? If only life was this easy. Despite feeling hive-like beforehand about what seems a gaping abyss of “lets talk about that …” our last group meeting was really good. The two-hour format was not too long; the group was diverse, with many “experts” in their own field/programs etc. They ended up with “parking lot issues” which I may not get invited to, if I repeat words like abyss, hives and “The Process” in the same sentence again. Really though: good parking lot issues!
    One of the goals which caught my attention as key: a population of 75,000 for 2015; and an average wage of $38,000 for that same year. This would be an increase of 4.1 percent in population, with the dramatic emphasis being on young people ages 20 to 45 years old. There were actually about five folks in the room who were not “overqualified” to coin a Buck-ism to be a part of Momentum Aroostook group. Several of us were just slightly overqualified folks (slightly please, work with me), trying to figure out why we ought to be tweeting and instant messaging our colleagues 100 times a day. I exaggerate. Our young senior ladies, are not texting 20 or 30 times in the couple hours after school when they are here working. They are learning the art of general phone answering, calling, and customer service. Who knew it’s virtually a lost art of communiqué? I did not get that text evidently. We’re still dwelling on what to place the magic wand setting to, to encourage the 20- to 45-year-old folks to “Come Home and Stay.” In the meantime however, one of our official Aha Moments (I did indeed sit next to Mr. Haguewood, and he did lean over and literally say, here’s our “aha moment”) was some very good comments from Mr. Flannery with the Maine Potato Board. Whewhua!
    My young lady from the office, who perhaps initially was drug to this event, minus her bells being on, is an Aroostook County farmer’s daughter! So we were already AHA each other fairly heavily with big eyes as Mr. Flannery spoke, but by goodness, I am officially throwing my dirt in the ditch (a phrase I heard at the meeting, and had to write down, as a good one to use) as potato farming needs to be one of our Indigenous Assets which we should all be participating in mapping together — as a whole, as a community, as The County!
    Yes! Mr. Flannery expounded only a bit to the group, and Mr. Haguewood about farming: what makes us unique from the other potato farming states (less water consumption, and less spray materials to achieve our desired yields)! Really, less water, think about it, we’re Green! We’re cool and we’re green, and we’re using a smaller carbon footprint, and we’re saturating our children’s soil with less pesticides and chemicals (long winters resulting in less fumigation needs)! AHA! Whehua!
    Which brings me to, the average age of a potato farmer in 2003 was what? Maybe we ought to be thinking about ways to market together agriculture (not just leaving it to the farmers as if it’s just “their problem”); and encouraging our children to be what – when “they grow up?” At the first meeting Mobilize Maine in April, one of Mr. Haguewood’s opening comments was, “Don’t wait for the cavalry.” We can save ourselves! Short of mandating our farmers have more babies, how do we encourage our young people? Marry a farmer! Aha, a new slogan for the locals: Marry a farmer, they’re hard working, rugged, and they’re not ever home to get in the way! I’m being silly, and sincerely mean no insults to our farmers (or, more importantly the wives)!
    If there are potentially 50,000 additional acres which could be used for something (beets, more flax, broccoli, potatoes), why aren’t we? Why don’t more of our young people think of agriculture as a serious industry? Shouldn’t we? Go to school in our state, get your degrees more inexpensively, and come home and be a part of The County. The secondary market pieces related to this industry are tremendous! We must value ourselves. Has anyone heard the enthusiastic pitch of Emily Smith? There’s a young female agricultural entrepreneur! Amazing! We are what we do and we are what we want to be in the end! Let’s all grow farmers! Be farmer enthusiasts! Tweet your friends, text your family from away, our potatoes are better. Better for the environment, and better tasting too! We are our greatest assets! Eat Maine potatoes! And broccoli too!
    Wendy Landes, MPA, is the executive director of the Caribou Chamber of Commerce & Industry. She can be reached in person at 24 Sweden Street, Suite 101; by telephone at 498-6156 or via e-mail at wlandes@cariboumaine.net.