March 2020 - 13
" It takes family in
farming because nothing in
farming is easy. "
- Dominic LaJoie, LaJoie Growers LLC
Experimenting isn't something the LaJoies shy
away from, but any endeavor is well researched
and planned out before resources are committed.
That includes the purple potatoes they sell to
chip makers, which was a relationship that came
about through " a lot of internet searching, "
Dominic said.
" My goal was always to find a niche market and
help my father pay off his debt load and get ready
to retire in a better position, " he added. They've
also done some beet processing to create a line
of beet powder, which is growing in popularity as
an athletic performance and health supplement.
Among the farm's biggest challenges are
finding enough labor, a common theme among
growers across the country, as well as irrigation.
" We're dryland farmers. We believe in the
future that irrigation will come to our area, "
Dominic said. " Close to 30% of acres in Maine
are irrigated now, but it's open water sources. ...
When it doesn't rain, ponds run dry. "
The four partners, as well as Sky, all can do
whatever is needed to run the operation, but each
has his own niche area. For example, Jay is the
office manager, while Sky tends to concentrate on
the packing house. " We all do marketing, we all
search for new leads, we just focus on what we do
best to keep the operation as efficient as possible, "
Dominic said. " We feed off each other. "
Unlike Normand, who often had to shoulder
much of field responsibilities on his own,
especially as a young farmer, Gil, Dom, Jay,
Lucas and Sky have each other, as well as their
own spouses and children for support. Dom and
his wife of 33 years, Rachel, have four children.
" It takes family in farming because nothing in
farming is easy, " he said.
The most satisfying part of being a farmer is
watching the crop come out of the ground and
go into storage, Dominic said.
" We put the faith in our farm and faith in each
other and work toward the same goal. ... To see
that crop coming into storage and to see the
results is kind of like a high.
" You've gone through the season and now
you know that you will have something to feed
people. "
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March 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
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