Fitzpatricks are Farm Family of Year

    HOULTON, Maine — The Maine Potato Board has announced that the Albert Fitzpatrick family from Houlton is the 2014 Farm Family of the Year.
With a focus on the health and sustainability of the soil on their farms, Albert Fitzpatrick and his family members raise 300 acres of potatoes in southern Aroostook.  Family immediately now involved on the farm include Albert’s wife Mary Beth and daughter Erica Fitzpatrick Peabody.
Although Mary Beth has worked off the farm for most of her professional life, she has always been a part of the farm operation and helps when needed.  All four of the Fitzpatrick daughters  (Tracy, Erica, Aimee and Kendall) always worked during the harvest.  Erica studied agriculture in college and is involved in the farm from a technical aspect.  Her husband, Barrett Peabody, a potato seed inspector, comes from a farm family that retired from farming in the 1990s.  Recently, the Fitzpatricks incorporated four of the Peabody family farms into their operation to allow for better rotation.
And Erica proudly points out that “My grandmother, Kathryn Fitzpatrick, still visits the fields during planting and harvest and makes sure that the crew gets treats.  so, my grandfather, Robert Callnan, worked harvest for many years, and we have farmed his home farm for more than 25 years.”  The Fitzpatrick Family Farms are truly multi-generational.
Albert, a native of Houlton, was a member of the second class to attend the then Northern Maine VTI in Presque Isle in the mid-60s.  Always frugal, (still to this day), Albert bought an old truck for $2500 and did some trucking for a while. Forty-five years later, Albert still operates New England Transportation and has trucks on the road.  He then rented his first farm, bought a $500 sprayer and a $400 truck and began to raise potatoes.  In 1973, he had his first year raising 100 acres, and then gradually added to his acreage.  Albert bought a 60s-era John Deere 4020, which he still loves and uses to this day…frugal!  Albert’s Maine agriculture license plate on his pickup proudly states JD-4020!
In speaking on the importance of soil health, Albert and Erica point out the practices they utilize on their various farms: In the rotation year approximately 1/3 of the acreage receives manure in partnership with a neighboring cattle operation that plant a pea/clover/small grain mixture.  The remaining acreage is planted to a rye grass plow down.   They build and rehabilitate waterways on farms for erosion control, as well as   reclaiming soil lost from years of erosion and placing soil back on high areas of the field. They mulch a cover crop of hay on the soil after potato harvest (for the earliest harvested acres) to provide a cover for the soil during the winter months and remove compaction with deep tillage.
A practice from the past, but not done as recently, was rebuilding organic matter by incorporating paper mill byproduct from the former Millinocket facilities.
The Fitzpatrick’s 300 acres of potatoes meet a number of market needs.  They sell potatoes for processing to McCain’s (as part of the Littleton Potato Growers cooperative), to Frito Lay, and to Naturally Potatoes.  They also grow some fresh market acres for sale in New England.  Albert was an original grower investor in Naturally Potatoes in 1994.
Daughter Erica has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in plant pathology from UM as well.  Erica, a published scientist, has been the agronomist for almost 10 years at McCain’s in Easton.  She applies her agronomy skills on the family farm, working with her father to determine optimal fertilizer analyses, new productive varieties to grow, different chemistries for pest control, and others.  Erica and her husband Barrett build a home on the family farm and live there with their two children Aimee and Barrett R. and are expecting another child later this fall.  Certainly, the next generation will also be helping on the farm as they get a little older.
“I got my first paycheck when I was nine,” says Erica.  “My dad paid me $1 an hour for my work during harvest, and I was thrilled.”  It was expected that the girls would work on the farm and they did.  “I love growing things,” adds Erica.  “Farming involves making both business and science-based decisions.  A potato farm family must be well versed in both business skills and science knowledge to make good decisions for their farm.”
“I don’t take credit for this,” says Albert modestly. “You’re only as good as your family around you and your good help on the farm.” Albert has staff who have worked with him for years, one for 33 years and another with 36 years with him.  “Whether the farm or the trucking business, family and good help make all the difference.  I’ve been lucky.”
When asked what advice he would give to the next generation, Albert says, “If you really want something, really want to be a grower, go for it. Be aware that there are risks in farming, both mental and financial.  But if you like what you do, it makes all the difference.”