For National Agriculture Week, Senator King Talks with Maine Farmers About Latest News on Blueberries, Potatoes and Dairy
WASHINGTON, DC – The Office of US Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the March episode of the Senator’s Inside Maine podcast. Joining Senator King was Eric Venturini, who Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine; Dominic La Joie, A Former member of Maine Potato Board And 2023 Potato Person of the Year; Annie Watson, the owner of Sheepscot Valley Dairy; and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
Together, Senator King and his guests celebrated National Farm Week by discussing the challenges facing the agribusiness industry, how climate change is affecting crops, and the challenges and opportunities the farming community faces every day.
“The farming community is central to Maine’s identity and is essential to our state’s economy,” said Senator King. “As the agribusiness faces challenges arising from changing global markets, climate change and more, we must continue to provide resources and support to these companies. It was great to have a group of amazing Maine leaders come together for a fruitful conversation about the opportunities that exist for the Maine dairy, blueberry and potato industries – I hope it will remind listeners to buy our local Maine produce. “
Eric Venturini has served as Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission since February 2020. He is a proud member of the University of Maine Classes of ’06 (Bachelor) and ’15 (Graduate) and spent years fishing in Hawaii, Alaska, and Ireland before transitioning to farming. Eric serves on a number of boards and committees in Maine and the United States representing the interests of Maine wild blueberry growers.
Dominic LaJoie grew up on his father’s potato farm in Cyr Plantation. He is a fourth generation potato grower and is currently President and Owner of LaJoie Growers LLC. He is currently First Vice President and Chair of Environmental Affairs for the National Potato Council. LaJoie also runs his farm with his brother, cousin and two nephews, representing a fifth generation of LaJoie growers. Potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips and corn are grown on LaJoie’s 1,300-acre farm.
Annie Watson serves as both owner of Sheepscot Valley Farm and CEO of Maine Organic Milk Company, LLC. She got involved in farming when she met her husband Michael in 2005. In her role at Sheepscot Valley Farm, Annie and her husband farm approximately 250 acres for grazing and haying and milk approximately 50 cows in a herd of 125. The farm is a certified organic dairy. Annie graduated from Brown University and is a board member of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. She was previously President of Maine Organic Milk Producers and a board member of the Maine Diary Industry.
Senator Joni Ernst is a Republican from Iowa who grew up on a farm that raised soy, corn and hogs. She attended Iowa State University, where she participated in the school’s ROTC program. She is a member of the Agriculture, Food and Forestry Committee, where she is the senior member of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee.
Senator King was a strong advocate for Maine farmers by helping them expand their markets. Along with Senator Ernst, he introduced bicameral bicameral bipartisan legislation to encourage marketing efforts and sales of American agricultural products, including seafood, overseas. Its Expanding Agricultural Exports Act is estimated to increase agricultural exports by $7.4 billion by doubling funding for agricultural commodity promotion programs abroad.
Senator King was also a strong ally of the blueberry, potato, and dairy industries. In the annual fiscal 2022 budget legislation, Senator King secured nearly $3 million for Maine wild blueberry growers and producers to develop infrastructure and research to enable new accessible and low-cost technology at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, Maine. to test and demonstrate. He also joined a bipartisan group in introducing legislation to combat the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products. The DAIRY PRIDE Act from 2023 would require non-dairy products made from nuts, seeds, plants and seaweed to no longer be mislabeled with terms such as milk, yogurt or cheese. The Maine potato industry has also received more than $500,000 in federal funding for the University of Maine’s potato research program. This funding is in addition to the introduction of The AG RESEARCH Act Support potato and other agricultural research across the country.
The Inside Maine Podcast with Senator Angus King is a 30-minute program aimed at keeping the people of Maine informed about current affairs, their impact on life in the state, and her role in Senator King’s work as one of two to hold independents in the US Senate. Senator King’s podcast builds on his existing radio show, which typically airs on the last Saturday of the month between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Newsradio WGAN in Portland, Maine.
To listen to Senator King’s March Podcast, click here or find it on Apple Podcasts.