WASHINGTON D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the March episode of the Senator’s “Inside Maine” podcast. Senator King was joined by Eric Venturini, the Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine; Dominic La Joie, a Past Member of the Maine Potato Board and 2023 Potato Person of the Year; Annie Watson, the Owner of Sheepscot Valley Dairy Farm; and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Together, Senator King and his guests celebrated National Agriculture Week by discussing the challenges facing the agriculture industry, how climate change is affecting crops, and the challenges and opportunities that the agriculture community faces on a daily basis.

“The agriculture community is at the heart of Maine’s identity and is essential to our state’s economy,” said Senator King. “As the agricultural industry faces challenges resulting from changing global markets, climate change, and more, we must continue to provide resources and support to these businesses. It was great to be joined by a group of fantastic Maine leaders for a fruitful conversation about the existing opportunities for Maine’s dairy, blueberry, and potato industries – I hope it will remind listeners to buy our local Maine products.”

Eric Venturini has been the Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission since February 2020. He is a proud member of the University of Maine class of '06 (undergraduate) and '15 (graduate) and worked for years in fisheries in Hawaii, Alaska, and Ireland before transitioning to agriculture. Eric serves on a number of boards and committees across Maine and the US to represent the interests of Maine's wild blueberry producers.

Dominic LaJoie grew up on his father’s potato farm in Cyr Plantation. He is a fourth-generation potato grower, and currently is the President and Owner of LaJoie Growers LLC. He currently serves as the First Vice President and Chair of Environmental Affairs for the National Potato Council. LaJoie also runs his farm alongside his brother, cousin, and two nephews that represent a fifth generation of LaJoie growers. LaJoie’s farm grows potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, and grain on the 1,300-acre farm.

Annie Watson acts as both the owner of Sheepscot Valley Farm and the CEO of Maine Organic Milk Company, LLC. She became involved with farming when she met her husband, Michael, in 2005. In her role at Sheepscot Valley Farm, Annie and her husband manage roughly 250 acres for grazing pasture and hay, and milk about 50 cows in a herd of 125. The farm is certified organic dairy. Annie graduated from Brown University and is a Board Member for Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. She previously served as President for Maine Organic Milk Producers and as a board member for the Maine Diary Industry.

Senator Joni Ernst is a Republican from Iowa and grew up on a farm growing soy, corn and raising pigs. She attended Iowa State University where she joined the school’s ROTC program. She is a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, where she is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy.

Senator King has been a strong advocate for Maine farmers by helping them widen their markets. With Senator Ernst, he introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to boost marketing efforts and overseas sales for American agricultural products, including seafood. Their Expanding Agricultural Exports Act is estimated to increase agricultural exports by $7.4 billion by doubling funding for the advertising programs of agricultural goods in foreign countries.

Senator King has also been a strong ally of the blueberry, potato and dairy industries. In the FY2022 annual Appropriations legislation, Senator King secured nearly $3 million for wild Blueberry growers and producers in Maine for the development of infrastructure and research to test and demonstrate new accessible and cost-effective technologies at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, Maine. He also joined a bipartisan group in introducing legislation to combat the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products. The DAIRY PRIDE Act of 2023 would require non-dairy products made from nuts, seeds, plants, and algae to no longer be mislabeled with terms such as milk, yogurt or cheese. The Maine potato industry has also received more than $500,000 in federal funding for the University of Maine’s Potato Research Program. This funding is in addition to the introduction of the AG RESEARCH Act to support potato and other agricultural research across the country. 

The “Inside Maine Podcast with Senator Angus King” is a 30-minute program that aims to help keep Maine people informed about issues of the day, how they affect life in the state, and how they factor into Senator King’s work as one of two independents in the U.S. Senate. Senator King’s podcast builds on his existing radio show that airs on Newsradio WGAN in Portland, Maine between 10 and 11 a.m. typically on the last Saturday of the month.

To listen to the March edition of Senator King’s podcast, click here, or find it on Apple Podcasts.