enlarge 2007 Press Herald file

Carl and Goran Johanson tote containers of new potatoes from the fields of their family farm in Dresden last August.

Maine's big potato and blueberry farms likely will continue to get larger in 2008, and there probably will be an increase in the number of the state's small farms, according to a University of Maine economics professor who specializes in agriculture.

Stewart Smith said Maine has seen a trend in recent years of big farms adding acreage and more small farms springing up in response to consumers' desire to buy local food. This year, that same pattern should hold true, Smith predicted.

"I see the continuation of the past trends," he said.

Maine has about 7,000 farms, and more than 1,000 are large farms growing such commodities as potatoes and blueberries that primarily are sold to the national market, not just Maine, Smith said.

"You would expect those farms to get fewer and larger because they're competitive based on economies of scale that would require them to get larger," he said.

By contrast, most of Maine's farms are small ones, Smith said. He said many of those farms are run by part-time farmers because someone in the family has to have another job.

"Those have been increasing in number, and I would expect that increase to continue," he said.

The produce from those farms primarily goes to Mainers through farmers' markets and other venues.

Smith said consumers' interest in buying local food that they consider safe to eat is one reason that sector of the economy is growing. "People like to support local farms, and there's a certain amount of security associated with being able to buy local foods, Smith said.

Also, he said, as the price of fuel rises, the prices that such farmers are charging for local foods "may be more competitive."

Russell Libby, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, also believes that the growing interest in locally grown food in 2008 "is going to open up a lot of market opportunities for Maine farmers."

In other possible trends for 2008, Maine stands to benefit from some new provisions in a version of the Farm Bill that passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. Senate in December.

For the first time, specialty crops like potatoes and blueberries would get serious consideration in the bill, with $2.1 billion set aside for block grants for specialty crop growers nationwide, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe. The Maine Republican was a strong advocate of the provision.

Also, Libby said the Senate bill contains money for an organic transition program for farmers. "It would provide money to help farmers convert from conventional agriculture to organic during the three-year period" it takes for a farm to become organic, Libby said.

The Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill 79 to 14, but it has yet to become law.

Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board, based in Presque Isle, considers it "a very positive thing" that specialty crops would be recognized in the bill. Previously, he said, the bill has focused on commodities such as cotton and wheat.

Flannery said the block grant money might be used for additional research on potatoes and for infrastructure needs.

Potatoes are Maine's leading crop, he said. According to the Maine Department of Agriculture, sales of Maine fall potatoes in 2006 exceeded $129 million. That accounted for nearly 22 percent of the state's $593 million in total agricultural sales.

Staff Writer Tess Nacelewicz can be contacted at 791-6367 or at:

tnacelewicz@pressherald.com