BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2022
Steve Johnson, who was a crops specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Presque Isle for 34 years, has told farmers when to plant, how to treat diseases and pests, how to properly store crops and introduced technology to growers. Though he has left Aroostook, he is not leaving agriculture. He has too much invested. Now Johnson, who retired on June 30, is taking his expertise to other parts of the world. It’s difficult to prepare for climate change because no one knows exactly what the changes will be, Johnson said. Though farmers are concerned about it, the realities of fuel costs, labor, fixing equipment and marketing the crop put climate worries on the back burner.