Breaking New Ground….
We mean breaking new ground literally! A new land purchase has allowed Green Thumb Farms to add more acreage to our crop land. The previous owner farmed hay for his cattle herd, we are in the process of turning the green hay into the ground in preparation for corn planting. This is done with a process called disking. This is done with used tractor which tows an apparatus behind it that has several disks that will chop up the grass and turn it back down into the loose soil. The disk will travel over the land several times to make the surface smooth enough to plant. After disking if...
Read MoreScience Fair Projects!
Our friend Max chose to present “The Lifecycle of a Potato” as his science fair project this year and asked for the help of Green Thumb Farms. We sent Max a bunch of photos of planting, cultivating and harvesting potatoes. Max was nice enough to send us a photo of him in front of his display. Nice job Max! We love to help kids learn about agriculture, if you or someone you know would like more information about potatoes, beans or corn and how they grow please feel free to e-mail info@greenthumbfarms.com. Education is the foundation for the healthy environment, lifestyle and...
Read More2010 Cooperator of the Year!
Today we are excited to share that we will be receiving the 2010 Cooperator of the Year award given by the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District! Our nomination came from our local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. We will receive this award at the next Board of Supervisors annual meeting. The award is given to those land users who show outstanding commitment to soil and water conservation on their farm. Our quality and diversity of products have been the keys to our success. We originally began growing organic potatoes in order to satisfy market...
Read MoreSenator Collins Plugs Nutritional Value of Maine Potato
Collins plugs nutritional value of Maine white potato Thursday March 10, 2011 | 05:32 PM Posted by Jonathan Riskind jriskind@mainetoday.com Sen. Susan Collins had a message for Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today during a Senate hearing, and the Maine Republican came armed with a prop. Collins used the occasion of Vilsack’s appearance before the Senate Appropriation Committee’s agriculture subcommittee to criticize the Agriculture Department for exckuding the white potato, many of which are grown in Maine, when federal officials came out with a new list of vegetables and...
Read More2010 Was A Strong Potato Year
Potato farmers see strong season By The Mainebiz News Staff 03/07/11 Maine saw a strong potato harvest in 2010, with its value increasing 3% over the previous year. Preliminary figures from the National Agricultural Statistics Service report a harvest of 1.6 billion pounds with a value of $159.2 million, according to The Associated Press. The harvest in 2009 was valued at $154.2 million. Maine potato farmers planted nearly 55,000 acres in 2010, with a yield of 29,000 pounds per acre. The value of Maine’s potato harvest has been on the rise. In 2009, it jumped 5% compared with 2008 to...
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