MONTICELLO (AP) — The Maine Potato Board has selected a 23-year-old woman as its 2013 young farmer of the year.

Officials say Sara Corey of Monticello is the first woman to receive the award. She’s also the youngest recipient of the award.

Growing up on a farm in Monticello, Corey worked the potato harvest throughout high school, working for her father and other farms from Littleton to Limestone to Florenceville, New Brunswick.

After earning a degree in chemistry from Husson University, she’s now running a specialty seed potato operation and has expanded the operation into specialty oats. She’s credited with using global positioning technology and irrigation to make her operations more efficient.

She said she hopes to serve as a role model for women and encourage them to get into potato farming.