In the spring of 1980, Dr. Gustavus Currie, II, president of the Aroostook Testing and Consulting Laboratory in Presque Isle, addressed the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District board of supervisors on the fate of County soils if current potato-heavy rotations were to continue. He stressed better crop rotations and looked to farming pre-1940 when hay, millet, clover and other green manure crops were plowed down on a regular basis. The soil structure was better with increased water holding capacity.
That same spring, Houlton farmer Donald Fitzpatrick was planting his 24th crop of potatoes, having planted his first crop with his brother during his freshman year of high school. Now, 53 farming years later, he continues to take Dr. Currie’s words of conservation seriously by implementing various practices for improved soil tilth and, ultimately, increased potato yields.
Donald’s farming philosophy is from a “biological” point of view which involves doing everything you can biologically to build soils without chemicals. He aspires to this by planting a winter cover of oats, spreading hay to combat soil erosion or, currently, expanding to get 25 percent of his acreage into a three-year rotation. The expanded rotation may involve growing a small grain that is underseeded with clover. The clover is not plowed down until the following summer and then oats are sown to act as a winter cover. Potatoes follow the third year. This longer rotation helps build the organic matter that is so vital to healthy soils. After making changes with fertilizer applications, he noted the presence of angleworms again in his potato ground. Angleworms live in a living soil.
When pressed about the changes that have taken place with farming potatoes, Donald concedes that it is now all about volume. Therein lies the challenge. His desire for healthy soil must also translate to high yields. It is this challenge that has kept Donald a potato farmer for 53 years and still willing to try new things. One of his favorite “soil saver” tools on the farm is his box hiller. This allows him to make one trip through his potato fields to hill them up instead of the normal two or three trips usually taken. The result? Fuel cost savings, less potential damage to potatoes, reduced soil compaction and soil disturbance.
Donald’s openness to implement new or different conservation practices is grounded in a long-range view of leaving viable soils for his grandkids. This is why he seeks out new information and remains a faithful attendee of local agricultural field days and ag seminars held throughout the state. He has also partnered with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension on numerous studies throughout the years – providing his farm fields as demonstration plots or taking part in field research.
Another important lesson that Donald learned way back when planting his first potatoes at age 15 was one of greed. That fall, potatoes were selling for $5.50 a barrel. One of his classmates sold at that price and bought a new car. Donald and his brother decided to hold on to their 10 acres and wait for the price to go up, getting rich in the process. By February vacation, the price had dropped to 55 cents a barrel and they spent all vacation unloading their crop. Donald said the money paid for their fertilizer and that was it. Looking back on it now, he thought it taught him a good lesson. He’s certainly never forgotten it.
In April, 2008, the SASWCD presented Donald Fitzpatrick with a Lifetime Conservation Farmer award. His openness to new information and experimentation without compromising his farming philosophy made this a well deserved recognition.
Editor’s note: Angie Wotton loves her work as District Manager for the SASWCD. She also raises pastured pork and vegetables with her husband on their small West Berry Farm in Hammond.
