How Maine farmers can hack the market | Letter
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of driving to Maine’s North Country where we saw firsthand our enormous fields of potatoes, buckwheat and other vegetables. We stopped at Bouchard Family Farm in Fort Kent where we were told that carrots and other local vegetables are sold to the public one day a week. If one arrives there after 9 a.m., everything is gone.
Many local businesses are not around anymore, leaving vacant buildings. Why don’t more Maine farmers do what Bouchard is doing, and run co-ops? Better yet, use building space next to a Hannaford store.
With additional ingenuity, farmers can also produce and market different variations of products from their freshly grown yummies. One potato farmer we bought from and spoke with pointed to a nearby French fry manufacturer that he sells the bulk of his crop to.
Maybe Maine farmers should put some marketing skills behind their brawn and find creative solutions alternative to Hannaford, so when Hannaford runs out and comes calling, farmers can raise their price rather than the other way around.
That way, Hannaford becomes David. Maine farmers become Goliath!
Louise Haggett
Old Orchard Beach
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Tagged: letter to the editor
