Senator Collins Meets with Members of Maine Potato Board

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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins met with several members of the Maine Potato Board (MPB) who were visiting our nation’s capital for the National Potato Council Fly-In annual meeting.  Those in attendance included MPB Executive Director Don Flannery of Presque Isle, MPB Director of Operations Jeannie Tapley, Brent Buck of Mapleton, Gregg Garrison of Blaine, Susannah Cooper of McCain Foods in Easton, and Dominic LaJoie of Van Buren.

“The Maine Potato Board provides farmers throughout our state with the information and resources they need to succeed in this important industry,” said Senator Collins.  “As a native of Aroostook County, I was fortunate to have grown up amid the values of hard work, determination, innovation, and common sense that define the potato industry and those who work in it.  I will continue to advocate for an industry that does so much for the economy of Maine.”

As a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins worked to ensure that the recently enacted omnibus included $2.75 million—an increase of $250,000—for potato research and $20 million for the USDA’s IPM program, which supports the work of UMaine’s Cooperative Extension Potato IPM program.  Senator Collins opposed the Administration’s efforts to cut funding for programs like IPM that help farmers protect their crops from pests and diseases, explaining the necessity of such programs at a hearing on the USDA’s budget proposal last year. 

Last month, Senators Collins and Angus King announced that the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension Potato Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program had been awarded $553,486 to conduct further research on potato breeding in Maine.

In January, Senator Collins voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was also supported by the MPB.

The mission of the Maine Potato Board is to provide a competitive environment for our potato growers, processors, and dealers, creating stability and the infrastructure for future growth while promoting the economic importance to the state and quality of the product.