ABC News' Kayna Whitworth discusses the unrelenting California megadrought despite recent storms and how the bone-dry conditions may impact all Americans.PORTLAND, Maine -- Maine’s potato growers had such a bumper crop this past season that they stepped in to help their big brothers out west who were short on spuds.
All told, 21 million pounds of potatoes, virtually all from growers in northern Maine, flowed through a rail-connected warehouse owned by LaJoie Growers LLC. That equates to more than 530 truckloads of potatoes, said co-owner Jay LaJoie.Most of the Maine potatoes went to processors in Washington state, where much of the french fries and other products are exported. The shipments to Idaho were seed potatoes, including Maine’s Caribou russet, that’ll be planted this spring.
The shipments came to an early end about two weeks ago, party because of economic disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine. But it was good while it lasted, helping out potato processors in western states while reducing an oversupply of Maine spuds. There’s no way growers could have sourced enough tractor-trailers to haul the potatoes, but there happened to be an available rail line that connects to a LaJoie-owned warehouse in Van Buren.“I don’t see transportation getting better anytime soon,” LaJoie said.