“We would not be the business we are today without the help of Farm Credit. I truly consider them an integral part of our operation–a partner.” -Keith LaBrie.

LaBrie Farms, LLC is a fourth-generation potato operation in Northern Aroostook County, Maine. The farm grows 550 acres of potatoes for processing, table-stock and seed markets and an additional 700 acres of grains for rotation.

A family affair

It is a family-run operation, with joint ownership by brothers Keith and Duane, and Keith’s son Jacob who has recently joined the brothers on the farm. Additionally, Keith’s wife Josie manages quality control, seed cutting and the fall harvest crew, and his daughter Sylvia is the office manager and food safety director. Their father Dan retired about eight years ago, but is still involved part-time, and additional family members help out during the busier seasons.

An integral part of the operation

“We’ve used Farm Credit ever since Duane and I got out of college,” said Keith. “We started with their incentive program for young producers and haven’t thought twice about where to turn for credit since. Over the years, we’ve also taken advantage of their tax planning and accounting programs, and have most recently started to work with our local consultant on enterprise profitability analysis.”

“We’ve built a wonderful working relationship with our local staff,” continued Keith. “They’ve been extremely good to work with — even through some of the tougher times. They’ve helped us grow and we plan on continuing to do business with them as long as they’ll allow.”