MPB to help fund agronomist position
By Jon Gulliver
Staff writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Presque Isle has had an unfilled agronomist position for about two years. Now the Extension is hoping to fill that spot with financial assistance from the Maine Potato Board.
At the board’s monthly meeting on Oct. 20 John Rebar, executive director of the Cooperative Extension, told board members the Extension is ready to fill that position, but he is hoping to get a person with a master’s degree and that will cost about $7,000 more a year than his budget will allow. To make up the difference Rebar asked the board for that amount to be allocated per year for the next three years.
“This will be the first time the Extension has entered into a partnership with a commodity, but we feel there is a need and with tightening budgets this may be the first of several such agreements,” said Rebar.
After discussing the matter for about 15 minutes, and getting assurances a representative of the Maine Potato Board will be on the selection committee, members unanimously voted to have MPB Executive Director Don Flannery move forward with the idea.
Rebar thinks a person, with expertise in soil sciences and crop rotation, can be hired and on the job by spring planting.
“What we want is to hire the old-time Extension agent, get his or her truck on your property and get to work,” he said.
Rebar said the Extension is also looking to fill, without outside financial assistance, a general agriculture specialist position in Fort Kent. While the Presque Isle agronomist will primarily focus their attention on potatoes, the Fort Kent job will cover a wider array of agriculture.
Also at the monthly meeting board members got an update on how potato sales went at the Big E fair in Springfield, Mass. Tim Hobbs, the director of grower relations, said this was the third biggest year in sales, with roughly 81,000 spuds sold. The biggest sales year was in 2007 when the board sold 84,300. Sales this year brought in $405,240. The net total is still being calculated, but Hobbs and Flannery expect it to be pretty good, but say there are some things they will change going into next year.
“To maintain we need to keep a close eye on how the place is run and make it as efficient as possible,” said Hobbs.
One idea is to have a representative from the MPB office on site for every day the Big E is open.
The next Maine Potato Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m.
