This is us! Here we are working, pausing work for a quick photo opportunity, having fun and just plain goofing around. You can visit “The Faces Of Our Farm Part V” to see some more photos of all of us in action.
 “For those who leave never to return. For those who return but are never the same. We remember.”
Canada didn’t become and stay the land of the free without great sacrifices during war. The great wars forever changed the lives of so many, and the battle for freedom continues to this day. Today and every day we thank those who sacrificed everything for our country. Here’s a small historical fact about our farm that you may not know. We often cite that our farm has been in operation since 1943, and this is directly related to WWII. Don Thompson completed basic training in Newmarket in 1943 and was then placed in the reserves. He was told that his talents were better used in Canada feeding people instead of going overseas. So he planted a few acres of potatoes and here we are 80 years later still growing potatoes.  Today is National Farmers Day so I interrupted the harvest process to capture my three farmers on film. I got this fabulous photo after all the grumbling was over about turning off the bin filler for a picture, wondering where their sunglasses were and wishing I had given them some advance notice. (Which I did. For two weeks. Every day.) And what exactly does this day mean to us?
F feeding the world A adaptability and accountability R responsibility for our crops M maintaining our land E enthusiastic and sometimes exhausted R ready for anything S steadfast and strong Today would be a great day to thank a farmer. (It doesn’t have to be us!) Sometimes an unexpected thank you to a perfect stranger can make all the difference in the world. You can visit “Our Story” to learn a little bit more about who we are and where we came from. As we spring into our brand new season here at the farm, I wanted to update you on how we spent this past winter. Aside from our usual packing and delivering to local restaurants and grocery store, we all upgraded our skills in different ways by attending a variety of courses and conventions.
Curtis spent two months at Humber College at a driving course and has now acquired his AZ driver’s licence. John & RJ attended the Ontario Potato Board’s annual convention where they learned many new ideas for growing our potatoes and looking after our land. Christina and myself joined a two day zoom conference where we learned all about the important topic of food safety and certification. RJ went to the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Grower’s Association Annual General Meeting in Niagara Falls where he networked with vegetable growers in Ontario. As usual, we all remain committed to this lifestyle of farming and serving you fresh produce! You can visit “Our Story” to learn a little more about who we are and where we came from. “Thank you for calling Thompson Potato Farm. Christina speaking.” Today we celebrate the woman behind the voice on the phone. Although Christina doesn’t drive the tractors (yet) and she self-admittedly can kill a plant just by looking at it, she is an integral part of our team here at the farm.
She is the first contact all our customers have at the farm but she is so much more than a friendly and helpful voice on the phone. She is our Health & Safety representative, holds a valid First Aid Certificate and works hard to keep our 19 first aid boxes fully stocked. She helps with all aspects of the accounting, deals with copious amounts of paperwork for food safety and our temporary foreign workers, and is always willing to learn and try new things. Christina is a cooking enthusiast who makes a wicked cheesecake and offers valuable ideas when I have her taste test new recipes for the website. She is a capable driver helping out whenever we need to get vehicles in for servicing. She is the default IT department for all our iPhones. She remade all our sweet corn and pumpkins signs using her crafty side. And most importantly, she keeps us organized with constant reminders of all the things we asked her to remind us we are supposed to be doing! Christina is valued every day by all of here at the farm, not just on International Women’s Day. If you would like to see more about women in agriculture, you can visit “International Women’s Day 2021”. |
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