Who’s Yer Farmer? Meet Our PEI Potato Growers

The harvest may be long over but we want to take the time to introduce some of our hard-working potato farmers who make it possible to have such yummy PEI spuds on our dinner plates all over the world. Not only do they take pride in their work, but most of them have a long history of farming the land here on Prince Edward Island. Just in case you’re nosey (like any good Islander).

Keisha Rose Topic

Keisha is a sixth-generation farmer of R.A. Rose & Sons in North Lake, PEI. She grew up riding on tractors and trampling through potato fields with her father and grandfather. Keisha did not always plan on farming, but after being away from home she realized how special her connection to the farm was. She returned home to continue to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors, working at the family-owned potato packing facility, East Point Potato Inc. As a young farmer, Keisha puts a lot of emphasis on protecting the land they harvest from.

David and Vicki Francis

David and Vicki have been farming for 36 years, along with their five children. Together with his son Brett, they run a seventh-generation family farm in Lady Fane, central PEI. Their farm has roots going back to 1844. Along with potatoes, they raise cattle and rotating crops such as oats, corn, and barley, to provide for their cattle and healthy organic matter for our crops. They also maintain a wide range of projects on their farm and advocate for the use of sustainable agriculture practices.

The Visser Family

The Visser Family immigrated to Canada from Holland in 1954. They loved PEI at first sight, and purchased a farm in Orwell Cove. Today, Gerrit Visser and his two sons, Willam and Randy, run G.W & R Visser Farms and are very proud of the team they have assembled to keep their operations running smoothly. They are passionate about potato farming and are dedicated to preserving the land they love.

Farmboys Inc.​

Farmboys Inc. was formed early in 2015 by Bryan and Kyle Maynard. This company was formed when they purchased a portion of their grandfather’s (Allison Dennis) Farm, Arlington Farms. Allison was always happy to be able to provide people in the community with a job and also loved being able to support his community in any way possible. Kyle & Bryan are proud of the work they do in honour of their late father and are excited to continue to farm with the same values. By caring for their land and using sustainable farming practices, they hope to someday pass their hard work on to the next generation.

These and many other farmers join us each year for Farm Day in the City. For more information on this great event, please visit our Farm Day in the City page. Special thanks to Prince Edward Island Potato Growers for being such an amazing sponsor and also for providing these great photos!