Potato Harvest

One of the most interestingly different events I encountered after taking residence in Northern Maine was the phenomenon of Potato Harvest Break, which occurred, to my knowledge in every school in the northern portion of the state. Having already lived in a "potato state" (Idaho), I was no stranger to spuds, but the practice of child-involved cultivation was quite surprising to both my parents and I.

Every year each participating school allots typically two to three weeks in the fall, usually beginning with the last week of September, for a break from school. One of the oddities of this act can be found in that students have only begun the school year a month or so prior to the hiatus. Seldom do the students complain of having to miss school however. As I recall we were deeply delighted to experience the break.


Potato Harvest Break has been a tradition of Aroostook County for many, many years. Middle school and high school age students look forward to the chance to earn a hefty amount of cash for their age. They work in a variety of settings. Some pick potatoes from the ground, by hand, and fill barrels all day. Other individuals work in a potato house, carefully working to separate the harvest and store them until they are called to a purchasing location. Teenage harvest employees sometimes drive burly, rickety trucks through potato fields. The trucks move alongside the potato harvester machine, filling the truck with potatoes fresh out of the ground.

The worst job by far is working on the harvester machine. All day individuals stand on the machine as it creeps up row after row of harvest ready potatoes. The machine pulls them up from the ground and they are carried across a conveyor belt into the back of the waiting potato truck. The task of the student who works on the potato harvester machine is to stand beside the conveyor belt and pick items out that do not belong. These items can be rocks, dirt chunks, and even rotting potatoes.

This was the job I experienced during my years working Potato Harvest Break. Ask anyone about their experiences on a potato harvester, and they will likely describe it the same way. The temperature dwindles rapidly... beginning with cold in the early morning, then warming up in the afternoon, then going back to chilly again as night falls. There is a constant swirl of dust in the air as potatoes are torn from the ground, some of which ends up in the mouth, eyes, and nostrils. The machine is always moving, creating some dizziness at times. The worker is always standing, and if they have to pee... find a tree.

Work days typically begin around six AM and continue on after darkness, weather permitting. Individuals will work for many consecutive days, even on weekends, as the time they will be available to farmers is quite short in the large perspective, and there is always the threat of rain, which will cause a hiatus in productivity.

As horrifying as I may have made this experience seem, I believe it is a necessary part of this society. Many youths learn lessons about hard work and focus while working the fields. It is also evident that individuals from "the county" have quite a record as being very hard workers. Children and teens learn about responsibility and earning money, rather than being handed it. Potato Harvest workers can walk away with a good chunk of change too. Often they will make well over a thousand dollars, earned by their own hard work. This can have a positive impact in a variety of ways.

In recent years schools have begun to consider doing away with Potato Harvest Break. Many adolescents are no longer interested in putting in the hard work associated with the breaks. Long ago when larger families made up the north, it was necessary for farmers to make their own children available for help on their farms, without facing repercussions from school for absence. It will be interesting to see the direction taken in the future.