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In 1986, first-generation farmer Dan Corey planted his inaugural potato crop on about 50 acres in Monticello, Maine. Nearly four decades later, Daniel J. Corey Farms is the largest seed potato operation in the Northeast, spanning approximately 1,500 acres in Maine with an additional 400-acre table stock potato and vegetable operation in Florida.
Like many growers, early hands-on experience helped shape his path to agriculture. “I had a passion for farming,” Dan said. “I worked on farms since I was young. I just really enjoyed it. I even pursued my education in agronomy.”
After a few years growing table stock and processing potatoes, Dan made the leap to seed potatoes in 1990. The move proved transformative. He eventually took over a former Monsanto facility in northern Maine, which came with greenhouses and a state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory, allowing him to build a vertically integrated operation capable of producing its own in vitro seed and developing new potato varieties.
“Our pride and joy is the development of new varieties and genetics for growers to farm and be successful in the future,” Dan said.
The Maine operation focuses on seed potatoes and grain, including oats for the oatmeal and equine industries. Dan also launched a trucking arm, running 15 to 20 tractor trailers, to solve the logistical challenges of getting seed potatoes to customers on time. The operation ships as far west as Idaho and Washington and as far south as Florida. Dan has also participated in the U.S. Seed Task Force, exporting to Uruguay, Brazil, Guatemala, Egypt, Vietnam, and Nicaragua, among other countries.
In 2015, Dan expanded south, establishing DeLee Produce in Elkton, Florida, where the operation now grows 400 acres of red, white, and yellow table stock potatoes along with broccoli and corn. The produce is grown for L&M Family Farms, which supplies grocery stores along the East Coast.
Dan has already begun planning for the future of the operation, bringing in his children, Ben Corey and Sara Corey Parker. Today, Ben serves as Director of Operations and CFO, overseeing the day-to-day of the Maine operation. Sara is Director of Sales and Variety Development.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty at this point in time, but the business has been very good to us,” Dan said. “I’m hoping I can put my kids in a position to keep it just as successful. They’re bringing new ideas and modern technologies, and they’ve got the vigor I had when I was their age. I welcome that.”
Dan was appointed to the Potatoes USA Board of Directors in 2024 and has served on the Market Development Consumer Committee for two years. He’s a vocal advocate for the organization’s work — and its people.
“One of the things I like the most about the Potatoes USA crew is their enthusiasm and passion for their work,” he said. “These guys love their jobs!”
For Dan, the mission is personal. “The chance to promote potatoes as a nutritious and stable food source — I think it’s great,” he said. “If I can be a hand in increasing the value and consumption, I feel I’m doing my part.”
These days, Dan splits his time between Florida and Maine. When he’s not farming, Dan is an avid fly fisherman and hunter. His favorite spot is the Restigouche River in New Brunswick, Canada, where he fishes for Atlantic salmon, just a two-hour drive from his Maine home. And his favorite way to eat potatoes? French fries with his steak and potato chips with his sandwiches — fitting for a grower who also does early-generation variety development for some of the world’s major processors.