2014 Maine Potato Board Farm Family of the Year Announced

The Maine Potato Board has announced that the Albert Fitzpatrick family from Houlton is the 2014 Farm Family of the Year.

According to the Maine Potato Board, Albert Fitzpatrick and his family members raise 300 acres of potatoes in southern Aroostook. Family members immediately now involved on the farm include Albert's wife Mary Beth and daughter Erica Fitzpatrick Peabody.

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.

Erica says "My grandmother, Kathryn Fitzpatrick, still visits the fields during planting and harvest and makes sure that the crew gets treats. Also, my grandfather, Robert Callnan, worked harvest for many years, and we have farmed his home farm for more than 25 years."

Albert, a native of Houlton, 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. Albert 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.

The Fitzpatrick's 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.

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."