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V O L . X X X I N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 5 30 FA M I LY OW N E D B U S I N E S S e farm's catalog boasts twenty- four varieties of potatoes, including their own Prairie Blush and more common varieties like the Maine- bred Caribou Russet. e farm also offers somewhat unusual varieties such as Rose Finn Apple Fingerlings, an heirloom from the 19th century, and King Harry, a potato bred using traditional — not genetically modified — methods at Cornell University to be resistant to Colorado potato beetles. Wood Prairie Family Farm also offers a variety of organic vegetable, herb, flower and cover crop seeds which they source from reliable growers. In fact, everything sold by Wood Prairie Family Farm is certi- fied organic. Disease is another factor that can gum up the works on a seed potato farm. Gerritsen explains that a virus is currently ravaging potato crops worldwide. If the virus is at apprecia- ble levels in a crop, it can't be sold. "You can lose three years' worth of work," says Gerritsen. All the work and planning can certainly pay off. Gerritsen's favorite potato to grow is Prairie Blush. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Learn more about expanded eligibility and other opportunities exclusively for small businesses at efficiencymaine.com/at-work/small-business. Expanded Eligibility for Small Business Incentives Efficiency Maine's Commercial and Industrial Prescriptive Initiatives program has expanded the eligibility criteria so that more small businesses can access higher incentives for high-efficiency upgrades. If your business's average monthly electrical demand is 100kWh or less, you may qualify for the initiative. This initiative offers higher incentives than usual for high-efficiency equipment for HVAC, water heating, and lighting systems. Higher Incentives Now Available For More Small Businesses in Maine F O C U S Peter Gerritsen in tending this year's crop of tissue-culture Potato Plantlets. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C A L E B G E R R I T S E N

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