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PEI Potato Industry Welcomes Rick Mercer
The
Prince Edward Island Potato Industry welcomed Rick Mercer, from The
Rick Mercer Report, on October 12, 2010, through invitation by the
PEI Potato Board.
Rick Mercer and his crew met with Jason,
Troy and Bertie Webster, of Middleton Farms, a multi-generational
farm in Middleton, PEI to highlight the 2010 PEI Potato harvest and
demonstrate the process of bringing in the crop. Rick Mercer spent
the day in the fields, learning about the process of growing and
digging potatoes. Jason also showed Rick how to work the heavy
equipment, including the tractors and harvesters. “It was a
beautiful day in the fields. Rick was a great sport, and he and the
whole crew really got into it. They were so easy to work with and it
was like spending the day with some friends,” says Jason Webster,
PEI Potato Grower, “Rick was genuinely interested in what we do.”
The crew also got to see how potatoes get to the consumer level
by visiting a local packing shed where fresh consumer bags are
packed. “People think that their food comes from grocery stores,”
said Rick Mercer, to a CBC reporter. The visit provided a great
opportunity to show viewers of the Rick Mercer Report right across
Canada what goes into food production.
Greg Donald, General
Manager of the PEI Potato Board says “We were very excited to
welcome Rick and his crew. We invited them showcase the passion that
the growers have and the pride in the product that they produce.
What better way to than with The Rick Mercer Report.”
The
segment will air on the Rick Mercer Report, on November
23rd at 8:00pm on
CBC Television.
Prince Edward Island is Canada’s largest
producer of potatoes, with 84,500 planted acres, 320 potato growers,
and a history that dates back to the 1790’s. The industry is
finishing up the 2010 potato harvest, with reports of average yields
and good quality.
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