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  • Our Story
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The Common-Tater

Happy 3rd Anniversary To Us!

4/30/2019

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Honestly where does the time go? It’s already been three years since we launched our website and the response has just continued to increase! In 2018 we had just over 32,000 unique visitors than generated an astonishing 87,000 page views.   One of the most exciting social media events to happen to us this year was my blog about road safety and tractors that went mini-viral reaching almost 40,000 people.  This very important topic is so close to my heart as it involves the safety of my husband and my children as they set off to work every day.
 
My traditional top ten slideshow above features the blogs that got the most reaction on social media over the last year.  It was an interesting exercise to analyze the feedback and reactions to the 30 blogs I wrote this year to see if I could discover a pattern in the topics that engage you.  The results show that you are completely unpredictable!  From a simple photo of sweet corn to a winter sunrise to an April Fool’s Day joke you have shown me for the third year in a row that you enjoy a wide variety of topics.  So I will continue to generate many different blogs this year in the hopes of tickling your fancies!  To view the top ten blogs of 2018 in their entirety you can visit the “Best of 2018” category in The Common-Tater as well as the best of 2017 and 2016 in case you missed those.
 
2018 brought both changes and challenges to our farm.  We were relieved to be able to harvest our entire crop last fall under some of the most frustrating and difficult weather conditions we have seen in many years.  The harvest conditions last fall created a potato shortage that will be felt nationally as the potato storages begin to empty out earlier than usual.  Our son’s new venture growing pumpkins and squash was very well received and they are deep into planning the new crops for this upcoming year (including the giant pumpkin seedlings that are now growing in my kitchen!)    
 
And what do we have planned for 2019? Our most important job is to continue to grow a quality potato that meets the needs of our ever growing base of customers.  The seed potatoes have begun to arrive and we are getting ready to plant our potatoes as soon as the weather cooperates.  The sweet corn seed is here and there are only 92 days until it will be ready to eat! I am very excited to be working with a close friend of mine as we develop a new recipe that promises to be one of the best ones I have released yet.  Stay tuned for our “Baked Potato Bar” that will be sure to enhance your upcoming summer BBQs.
 
It’s been a great pleasure preparing all our social media events for you over the past three years.  I encourage you to send me your feedback and suggestions at any time.  Thank you for three incredible years and here’s to 2019!
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Winter Harvesting

4/1/2019

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Today I would like to address a little known topic about farming.  We are often asked how we get the potatoes out of the ground in the winter.  For centuries winter harvesting has been a tried and true method for keeping a fresh market supply of produce here in Canada.  Working with snow and ice is never easy, and don’t even get me started on the wind chill in open fields!  These pictures show our windrower and harvester set up to take on the winter weather conditions.   Our tractors have full heating systems so the men who work in the fields are comfortable until they have to get out of the tractor to fix something. 
 
Once you have thought a little bit about this information, I’m sure you’ll agree with me how ludicrous this all sounds.  Potatoes are about 80% water so they would freeze solid if they were left in the ground over the winter.  Implements would seize up in the cold and there is no way we could break the ground to dig up potatoes.  All our potatoes are safely put into temperature and humidity controlled storages well before the ground freezes for the winter.
 

Thank you for reading along with me and Happy April Fool’s Day to you!  To learn more about our actual harvesting process you can go to “Journey From The Underground Part II”
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#AgProud

2/12/2019

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#AgProud #CndAgDay Today is Canada’s Agriculture Day.  A day to share with you what we do all year here at the farm.  A day to celebrate the business of Canadian agriculture.  A day to post a pic of our favourite Canadian food.  Simple right? That’s what I thought… until I started sorting through the thousands of photos I have taken and shared with you over the past few years.  It turned into a rather daunting task! So instead of just one photo, I have generated a slideshow that highlights a few special moments at our farm.  From a surprise helper in the office to maintaining the potato crop to creating new recipes, I can safely say that celebrating the business of Canadian agriculture is something we do every single day.  Not only does this post highlight our love for agriculture, it shares a little bit of who we are.  Have a wonderful day!  If you are looking for inspiring potato dishes, I recommend you visit “Spud Smarts – About Cooking Potatoes” to get started cooking our favourite Canadian food. 
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Happy New Year!

12/31/2018

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I can think of no better way to welcome the last day of 2018 than with this glorious sunrise. We wish all our loyal customers and social media followers a fantastic evening tonight and a safe ride home. May 2019 bring you love, peace, health and prosperity in all your endeavours.  See you next year!  To view more photos of the sky around the farm you can visit “The Sky.”
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Farm To Fork Tour Recap

10/4/2018

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So today I present my 24,000 word recap of last weekend’s Farm To Fork Tour.  We have you covered if you missed the tour and are looking for farm fresh food and fun décor for your Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.  Drop in to pick up your potatoes, squash, turnips, onions, carrots, pumpkins, decorative corn, gourds, cornstalks and much more!  My free roasted root vegetable recipe is guaranteed to impress your dinner guests and is still available at the farm door.    For our location, hours of operation and directions to the farm you can visit Contact Us.
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Good Luck Curtis!

9/3/2018

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Today we got Curtis settled in his new home for the next 8 months.  Please join us in wishing our youngest son best wishes as he begins his studies of agriculture at Ridgetown College. He will be missed by all of us here at the farm, as well as our customers who he has been delivering product to for many years.  We are thrilled that he has taken this step to learn more about agriculture and cannot wait to see what new information and knowledge he can bring back to us.  Have fun Curtis…and don’t forget to study!  You can visit “Our Story” to learn more about the people who work at our farm.
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Packing New Potatoes

8/28/2018

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This video clip is of the tail end of our grading line.  Today we are packing new white potatoes that have already been washed and graded.  They are now sorted into two different packing lines. The line closest to the front holds our medium white potatoes that are mainly packed in 10lb bags for grocery stores and for sale at the farm door.  The line at the far back shows our large white potatoes packed in 50lb bags for restaurant delivery and wholesale at the Ontario Food Terminal.  To learn more about grading potatoes you can visit “What’s A #1 Potato Anyway?”
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Sweet Corn Anyone?!

7/27/2018

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Sweet corn anyone?! We are pleased to let your know that our first sweet corn is for sale at the farm door starting today.  Come and enjoy the taste of summer with our sweet corn and potatoes.  We also have our first flats of Ontario field tomatoes available.  Hope to see you soon! For directions to our farm as well as our hours of operation you can visit “Contact Us.”
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Share The Road

5/15/2018

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Spring means the active farming season is upon us. Our tractors travel to many different fields and this means we use roads.  Yesterday both of our sons were almost involved in accidents due to impatient drivers passing them in blind spots on the road.  Thankfully they both had their wits about them. They managed to avert the accidents by slamming on the brakes which is not easy to do in a tractor.  And their biggest concerns were for the innocent drivers who were almost hit head-on through no fault of their own.
 
Yes, our tractors are big and bulky and yes, they will slow you down. But only for a short time as we are not going very far. And as hard as it may be to believe, we are in just as much of a hurry as everyone else.
 
Unfortunately the incidents and scares caused by aggressive drivers have become a daily occurrence as we travel to our fields.  Farmers sacrifice much to feed the world.  A little respect, understanding and patience would go a long way.  At the end of the day we all want our loved ones to arrive home safely.

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Bird’s Eye View

5/7/2018

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​Last week we were finally able to get into the fields and commence #plant18.  Although the week was cut short with the enormous wind storm that affected all of Southern Ontario, I am happy to report that all the early potatoes were successfully planted.  This undeniably awesome selfie was taken by field reporter Curtis.  This bird’s eye view shows the seed potatoes travelling from the bulk truck via conveyor belt into the hopper on the potato planter.  To learn more about new potatoes and why they are so special you can visit “One Potato, New Potato!”
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    The Common-Tater

    Thompson Potato Farm

    Farming is fascinating!
    Be sure to stop in at "The Common-Tater" to see updates about our potatoes,  farming in general, life on the farm and new recipes.

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