Ashlee Wood, 16, of Westfield picks potatoes at Dan Stewart's Farm in Presque Isle. Brenda Jepson, a filmmaker who operates Crown of Maine Productions, recently produced an hour-long documentary, "Tater Raisin' Folk," about hand-picking potatoes, a way of harvesting spuds that has, for the most part, vanished.
STOCKHOLM, Maine — Brenda Jepson likes to make films about ways of life that are disappearing.
So when a friend told her she should make a documentary about hand-picking potatoes, a way of harvesting spuds that, for the most part, has vanished, Jepson jumped at the opportunity.
The result is an hour-long documentary, “Tater Raisin’ Folk,” which is for sale in Aroostook County.
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, Jepson recalled during a recent telephone interview from her home, there were 6,000 farms in The County where hand-picking of potatoes was practiced.
“Today, there are about 10,” she said. “I pass by two farms where they hand-pick potatoes when I drive to work, so I never really thought about the practice becoming extinct until someone pointed it out to me.”
She added that the Maine Potato Board told her that “only 1 to 2 percent of farms in Aroostook still have hand-picking crews.”
“Once I heard that, I knew I had to make this film,” said Jepson.
Jepson, a 1974 University of Maine graduate, owns Crown of Maine Productions. She also teaches television part-time at the Caribou Technology Center.
Jepson began filming at planting time this spring and shot her first scenes at Gerritsens’ Wood Prairie Organic Farm in Bridgewater. She then depicted spraying time at Phil Nadeau’s farm in Frenchville.
She was assisted in the filming by her husband, Alan, who farmed potatoes with his father until 1985.
At harvest time, Jepson and her husband visited five farms to record hand-picking, including shooting scenes at Charlie Smith’s farm in Houlton, Dan Stewart’s family farm in Presque Isle and Clayton Patrick’s farm in Woodland.
There was something unique about each farm, Jepson noted. For instance, she said, to gather spuds at the Patrick farm, pickers use old barrels, some of which were made in the 1940s. At the Smith farm a large wooden bear adorns the family’s roadside vegetable stand, and the Stewart farm employs a wealth of teenagers who pick potatoes under the watchful eye of Dan Stewart and Rex, a German shepherd.
Other features of the film include the Fort Fairfield Potato Blossom Festival, which illustrates how farming families celebrate their crops with a parade, mashed potato wrestling and a potato recipe contest.
The film also highlights the “Potato Pickers Special,” an early morning television show that takes place during harvest and is now in its 48th year. The show not only helps recruit pickers, it also keeps work crews informed about start times and gives growers industry news.
Jepson said she was “humbled” in making the film.
“These families work so incredibly hard and they give so much of themselves to their communities,” she said.
Jepson’s films also include “The Story of the Acadians,” which narrates the history and culture of Maine’s Acadian people; “Swedish Folk Dancers,” which features scenes from Midsommar weekend held in Maine’s Swedish colony; and “Homecoming,” about an American grandfather and grandson who visit Sweden to visit relatives they had never met. She also has directed and produced films for PBS.
“Tater Raisin’ Folk” is available as a DVD combined with an Aroostook County 2009 calendar, or as a single DVD at stores countywide or on Jepson’s Web site at www.crownofmaineproductions.com. For information, contact Brenda Jepson at 896-3416.
On 12/2/08 at 6:28 AM,
lalizz wrote:
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I grew up in Presque Isle - in a farrming family. I believe that I began picking when I was four (that's the only time I saw my Mom in jeans) and continued until I was old enough to work on a harvester. On my last picking day I got 92 barrels! I,of course, have moved on and lived other things - now I look back upon being a lobsterwoman - diffferent, but just as hard: up befor dawn, abed early. A good life.
On 12/2/08 at 10:37 AM,
Woody1 wrote:
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We lived in Fort Kent for two years in the mid-50's. I picked potatoes one year. Even as an in-shape, athletic teenager, it was backbreaking work I frankly didn't want to do again. God bless those that do.
On 12/2/08 at 7:14 PM,
thekingofmaine wrote:
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My grandfather used to pick potatoes around the Sherman area along with his brothers. Its sad to see this industry go. Just like the logging business
On 12/2/08 at 11:17 PM,
Unbiasedopinion wrote:
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This story is long overdue. I was one of the "county kids" who had to rise at 5:30 in the morning and listen to Wayne Knight on the radio to see if your farmer was digging that morning. There was something to be said for his endless mantra of "you can't be a layabed in the morning." I remember going to the Patrick's field in the 80's as the sun was rising,with a full lunch and a thermos of hot chocolate under the careful watch of my older sister (who should have been paid much more for putting up with my hyjinks) and working until the daylight faded. Work ethic was learned in the county at an early age. Many of our peers would benefit from spending a few days in the potato field.
On 12/4/08 at 5:24 AM,
downbeat wrote:
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Nobody wants to work that hard anymore..Now we import workers from other countrys to do farm work because we are now all too lazy to work...this type of work builds charater, work ethic.. We need to bring back those values becuase they are gone..
On 12/4/08 at 2:06 PM,
allin46 wrote:
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Pickin spuds was the worst work experiance Ive ever had .Getting up at day break and going to the fields still with frost on the ground.Getting a section to pick that I could never keep up and being about 50 rolls ,behind the rest othe the pickers. smalls rocks would get into the fingers of my gloves making it painful to pick. Cold dirty ittitated with the whole proesss and nearly ready to commit suicide befor each day was over.Getting tired and picking while on my knees whith rocks tearing away the skin from my legs and knees. What a way to make 15 cents a barrel.Having worked for one of the biggest growers in the houlton area Fred Putnam was a real test.He was a good man and a generous person but when he came to the fields I was on my toes trying to please him seeing that my folks rented our apartment from him.He allways was dressed in a fancy suit and picking up the potatos that I missed and putting them in my basket.I really miss men like Mr. Putnam and the way he was a perfectionest.It sure was a patr of my life I will never forget.Every harvest I thank my lucky stars those days are over for me.Having driven a tractor trailor hauling coast to coast for 40 years Ive hauled many loads of spuds from many parts of the country allways thinking about how hard the harvest was for all the all involved. See you again someday Fred. Steve Ivey
On 12/4/08 at 5:45 PM,
mouseinma wrote:
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I gotta tell you guys and girls.....this type of work is probably a big part that I am still employed during these tough times.
I hear some people piss and moan about simple easy work with in the semiconducotr industry.....and I think....hmmmmmm...."ever pick potatoes"
Wayne Knight blarring on the radio......."Conday Thibedeau.....going on time"....yeee haa....game on! I miss the clean fresh air and craking through the fields on my dirt bike.
On 12/4/08 at 8:19 PM,
RachelPelletier wrote:
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From what I read Here there is alot of people that can remember Harvest in Northern Maine.I myself was one of those potato pickers at the age of 6 years I very much remember being up early,our mother getting breackfest all those hot oatmeal bowls on the table,and homemade toast on the stove,tasted really good too,being outthere early waiting for the sun to hit the rows,so we could start picking,and i remember going to sleep as soon as it got dark out,I didn't pick
alot of barrells at that age but boy did i pick alot of tops off the rows for my sisters so it would make it easier for them to pick,and beleive me they could pick.I lucked out as I got older at the age of fifteen I was driving a truck under a harvester,and guess what I loved it,I had a heater and a radio!Being a girl I loved what I did as I got older I enjoyed it more,and now that I live in the Florida,well i have to go to ala.to see the potao"s grow and sometimes go back home just to see harvest go on,and here in florida well they named me northern girl and they tell me its cause they know i am from the northern maine area and work the way I do,thats that is what they will call me,well I have been here 14 years and have my own dump truck company,drive one myself haul asphalt,rock ,dirt
and rebuild roads,try to get back to maine aroostock county once a year to vist family.I also say the same thing to some of the workers here you do not know what hard work is until you lived in Aroostock County.
On 1/4/09 at 3:28 AM,
deedee wrote:
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I am from Caribou. Every fall we had to close the schools so we could go in the fields and 'pick potatoes'. Got paid 23 cents a barrel and if you made it through the entire picking season, got a 2 cent bonus for every barrel. I think I worked for the Mockler farm out on somewhere like back Presque Isle road or somewhere like that. Think it was Kurt Mockler's relatives. Back in late 50's early 60's. I still have an old black and white photo of me picking potatoes in his field. Reminds me (nearly) of the photo posted for this article/documentary.
Tell my friends here (California) about how we closed schools in Caribou to pick potatoes. No one believes me. Tell them how we had sections to pick and I (like your other person posting here) could 'never keep up' ....farmer would get mad because the potato trucks couldn't get through to pick up the wooden barrels lined up perfectly in the 'appropriate row'. Then we would hope beyond all hope that the farmer's tractor would STOP so we could rest and eat our bagged lunch.
Kinda miss the days when everyone worked for a common goal.....get the crops in. Even the airman from Loring AFB sometimes came into the fields to help. Rare, but I remember one year they had to help ....can't remember why....
I am not surprised that some farms are still handpicking. Seemed to work pretty good as there was nothing 'mechanical' to break down........
Miss Caribou sometimes.
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