Ke ulu nei i ka mahi mahi ʻuala a kona makuakāne ma Cyr Plantation, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Dominic LaJoie ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke noʻonoʻo i ka nui o kā kāna ʻohana, ʻo LaJoie Growers LLC. ʻAʻole ʻo ia i hoʻolālā e komo i ka politika.
Eia nō naʻe, ua koho ʻia e ka National Potato Council ʻo LaJoie, kahi mahi ʻai ʻehā o ka St. John Valley ʻāpana, pelekikena o Wakinekona, pūʻulu hoihoi DC-ma Fep. 22.
E lawelawe ʻo LaJoie i hoʻokahi makahiki, a ma laila ʻo ia e alakaʻi ai i ka ʻaha kūkā ma o kāna hoʻololi ʻana i ka hana pū ʻana me ka luna o Pelekikena Joe Biden, e kōkua i ka hoʻohui ʻana i ka pane e pili ana i ka ʻoihana uala i hoʻololi ʻia e ka pandemi a e ʻimi i nā mea nui a ka ʻoihana ma kahi pae aupuni. E mālama pū ʻo ia i ka hālāwai kauwela o ka National Potato Council ma Presque Isle i Iulai, inā ʻae nā COVID-19 palekana iā ia. Inā kū ka hālāwai, ʻo ia ka mua i mālama ʻia ma Aroostook County i ka moʻolelo o ka ʻaha.
"ʻO ke koho ʻana no Maine a no nā mahiʻai ʻuala ma ke ʻano nui he mea maikaʻi ia iaʻu," i ʻōlelo ʻo LaJoie. "E hoʻi i ka hana nui i hana ʻia e nā hanauna ma mua o mākou i hiki ai iā mākou ke pōmaikaʻi a ola i kahi ʻano maikaʻi o ke ola a hoʻoili iā ia i ka hanauna hou." Ua komo mua ʻo LaJoie i ka ʻaoʻao politika o ka ʻoihana ma kahi o 15 mau makahiki i hala aku nei, i ka wā i ulu ai kahi mea ulu mai ka St. John Valley, ka mea e hoʻolālā nei e haʻalele i kāna kūlana ma ka Maine Potato Board, ua kiʻi ʻo LaJoie e pani i nā makemake o ke awāwa ma kahi mokuʻāina. pae.
I loko o nā makahiki he 1,300 a me ka hapa i hala, ua lawelawe ʻo LaJoie ma ka Maine Potato Board - e hoʻolilo ana i ʻelua mau makahiki ma ke ʻano he pelekikena o ia hui - a ʻo ka Maine Seed Potato Board. ʻAʻole i liʻuliʻu, neʻe ʻo ia i ka National Potato Council kahi i lawelawe ai ʻo ia i mau huaʻōlelo ma ke ʻano he pelekikena pelekikena mua a pelekikena hope no nā hana kaiapuni. "He mea noʻonoʻo maikaʻi ʻo ia a nānā ʻo ia i nā pilikia o ka ʻoihana," wahi a ka Luna Hoʻokele o ka Papa Maine Potato ʻo Don Flannery. Ua kaulike ʻo LaJoie i kāna hana kulekele me ka holo ʻana i ka mahiʻai ma kahi o kahi kaikunāne, kahi hoahānau a me ʻelua mau keiki hanauna e hōʻike ana i ka ʻelima hanauna o nā mea kanu LaJoie. Hoʻopuka kēia ʻoihana i nā ʻano ʻuala, beets, kāloti, pālolo a me ka palaoa ma ka pā mahiʻai XNUMX-ʻeka.
"He hui maikaʻi kēia ma ka home," wahi a LaJoie.
I kona noho pelekikena ʻana no ka National Potato Council, e hoʻomau ʻo LaJoie i ka helu ʻana i kēlā kime, ʻoiai e kū paha ʻo ia i kahi makahiki pīhoihoi ma hope o ka makahiki 2020 i hala ʻole ma mua. e "loli mau" paha ka ʻoihana e ka maʻi ahulau e like me ke kūʻai aku ʻana neʻe aku ka mākeke mai nā hale ʻaina a i ka ʻoihana kūʻai. ʻO ka makahiki i hala aku nei ua hoʻololi pū kekahi i nā mea pono pilikino a LaJoie ma ke ʻano he ulu.
"ʻAʻole au makemake e hoʻonele hou inā aia kekahi ma waho e hiki ke hoʻohana iā ia," wahi a LaJoie.
Ma ke kaʻina o ka maʻi ahulau a me ka hāʻule ʻana o ka hoʻokele waiwai ma hope, ua kū mai ke kūʻai ʻana i nā hui e hoʻohui i nā mea ulu i nā hui manawaleʻa e like me nā panakō meaʻai, kahi e hiki ai iā lākou ke kūʻai aku i kā lākou huahana me ke kumu kūʻai hoʻemi. "Nui kēlā," i ʻōlelo ʻo LaJoie. "He nui ka poʻe i kaukaʻi ʻole i nā panakō meaʻai [ʻaʻole] ʻike i kahi a lākou e ʻai hou ai i kēia wā maʻi." I kēia manawa, ke hoʻololi nei ka National Potato Council i ke aupuni e hiki mai ana, e hoʻomākaukau ana e nānā i ke kānāwai kaiapuni a me ka meaʻai e hiki ai ke hoʻopili i nā mea ulu o ka ʻāina. Pili nui ʻo LaJoie me ka hōʻoia ʻana i ka loaʻa ʻana o ka wai i nā mahiʻai.
He pilikia mana ia ma Aroostook County, kahi i ʻike ai i kekahi mau kau maloʻo i ka lālani. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo LaJoie ʻoiai ma kahi o 30 pākēneka o nā mea kanu Maine e hoʻowīwai i kā lākou mea kanu i kēia manawa, manaʻo ʻo ia e ʻike i ka piʻi nui ʻana o nā helu i nā makahiki e hiki mai ana - ua manaʻo ʻo ia hiki i nā māla a Maine ke hōʻea i ka 100 pākēneka wai i nā makahiki he 20 e hiki mai ana.
"E hāhai mākou i nā kānāwai…. Akā pono kēlā mau rula i ke ala i hiki ai i nā mea ulu ke komo i ka wai a hiki i nā mea kanu ke pale i ke kaiapuni akā hoʻohana i ka waiwai, "wahi a LaJoie. No ka National Potato Council, ua ʻōlelo ʻo LaJoie aia nō kanalua ʻole he hoʻololi maoli ke aniau, mai ka maloʻo i nā mea ʻino e kū mai ana, pili ia i nā mea kanu ʻuala a puni ka ʻāina i kēlā me kēia lā. No ia, e pili ana i ke kuʻi ʻana i ke kaulike - e ʻimi ana i nā hopena e pale ai i nā mahiʻai a me ke kaiapuni.
"ʻO wau e ʻōlelo nei, ke hana nei mākou i ka meaʻai, ke hānai nei mākou i ka poʻe," hoʻomau ʻo ia. "I ka hopena o ka lā, pono e loaʻa kahi kuikahi ma laila." Aia ma laila ke kiko o kā kā LaJoie akeakamai ma ke ʻano he alakaʻi. ʻO kahi kanaka mālama ʻia, keeled keeded me kahi maʻa mau o ka nau ʻana i kahi nīnau no kekona kekona ma mua o ka pane ʻana, ʻo ka hopena maikaʻi loa a LaJoie e hoʻopili mau. "Ke nānā nui nei wau, a manaʻo wau makemake wau e hoʻolohe i nā manaʻo a puni ka papaʻaina," wahi a LaJoie. “Ke ʻimi nei au i ka waena waena i nā manawa āpau…. Ke lawe ka poʻe i ka manawa a mahalo iaʻu a hoʻolohe i koʻu manaʻo, hāʻawi wau iā lākou i nā manawa āpau a lākou e pono ai e haʻi i ko lākou manaʻo a manaʻo wau aia he kuʻikahi mau. "
ʻOiai ke ʻano o ke kūlike ʻole me Wakinekona, ua helu ʻo LaJoie i nā luna kau kānāwai mai Maine a i Kolorado a i Florida i mau hoa. Nānā ʻo ia i mua i nā ʻaoʻao hoʻonā pilikia o kāna hana - wehe i kahi pilikia a hiki i ka maʻalahi o ka hoʻomaopopo a me ka ʻōlelo. No ka makahiki e hiki mai ana, aia ma LaJoie e alakaʻi i kēlā uku - e kūkulu i nā hopena maikaʻi i nā ʻaoʻao āpau.
"ʻAʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke kākau i kahi puke no ka hanauna e hiki mai ana," i ʻōlelo ʻo LaJoie. “He makahiki hou kēlā me kēia makahiki a mākaukau mākou no ka pilikia. Akā ʻaʻole hiki iā ʻoe ke hiamoe i ka huila. Nui nā mea hou aku i ka mahiʻai a me kaʻuala e ulu nei ma mua o ka manaʻo o ka poʻe. ”
Oe e lilo ua paʻaʻia ma loko o e Mail i ka manaʻo hoʻopuka.