PRESQUE ISLE (AP) – Raye’s Mustard Mill will soon learn whether Aroostook County cuts the mustard.

If the mustard passes muster, it could provide an important rotation crop for Maine’s potato growers.

Raye’s Mustard Mill, based in Eastport, uses at least 45,000 pounds of mustard seed each year to produce the table condiment. It currently gets its mustard seed from Saskatchewan, Canada.

Vernon DeLong, executive director of the Agricultural Bargaining Council, initiated the experimental program this year with three farmers who each raised two acres of brown and yellow mustard.

The mustard seed was cleaned recently. After the holiday rush, Raye’s will run a test to see if the seed meets the company’s needs.

“If this works out, I would buy the Aroostook product, and use mustard seed from elsewhere to fill in the void that can’t be met by a Maine product,” said Nancy Raye. “We need to follow our nose on this one.”

Mustard seed, which is in the same family as canola, has not been grown commercially in Maine since World War II.

DeLong said the idea to try mustard as a rotation crop came about because of the success with canola, which was introduced five years ago. Farmers now devote about 3,500 acres to the rotation crop.

“From the outset, Raye said they were interested in buying mustard seed grown locally,” DeLong said. “We need to prove to her that we can supply the mustard seed she needs.”

One of the growers, Roger Lavertu of Madawaska, said it wasn’t much work to plant and harvest the crop. It is done with machinery already owned by Aroostook County farmers.

“We are still in the learning curve, but now we know we can grow it here,” Lavertu said. “It’s a weed, and it grows very well.”

Raye’s Mustard Mill, started by Raye’s grandfather, J.W. “Wes” Raye, in 1903, touts itself as the last stone-grinding mill in the United States.

Nancy Raye believes mustard growing would be a nice addition to Aroostook County’s potato growers. If the crop doesn’t meet her standards, it could be used to manufacture mustard flour or used in marinades, she said.

She hopes the project will take root. She finds it symbolic that farmers are willing to reach out and do something new to enhance their economy.

“This is a positive story about people who are determined to stay viable in the marketplace,” she said. “It is important for this state to accept new ideas and see where they go.”

AP-ES-12-29-03 1115EST