EDMONTON – It was like a modern day gold rush.
Thousands of people drove to a farm in northeastern Edmonton where they’d heard there were 100,000 pounds of free potatoes and all they had to do was pick them off the field.
The Great Potato Giveaway was bigger than organizer Gordon Visser imagined.
Visser planned to give away 100,000 pounds of potatoes, worth about $20,000, in an effort to create awareness that prime agricultural land is in danger of being paved over by urban encroachment.
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“A good part of Edmonton is on really nice agricultural land,” said Visser.
The area of northeastern Edmonton has fewer frost free days than most of the city and the land has produced vegetables for generations.
Visser, with the Greater Edmonton Alliance and the Edmonton Potato Growers, invited Edmontonians to his farm intending to show them valuable gems they all have in their backyards.
“It’s all about the land and saving this land from being paved over,” he said.
Organizers hoped about 2,000 people would show.
Instead, police were called in to close the highway out of the city when about 5,000 cars were backed up waiting their turn. Others abandoned their cars and walked the final few kilometres, worried they would miss out on the free Russet potatoes.
Only three hours after it began, the potatoes were gone. Organizers brought out another 4,000 kilograms that had been in storage.
Bob Jensen, general manager of the Edmonton Potato Growers, said it was difficult to tell whether the message about future land development on agricultural land would be effective.
“It will certainly raise awareness, especially because we have such a great turnout,” he said.
Jensen walked up and down the rows of people during the day, talking about the soil, its history and the need to preserve it.
Nicole Pulford of Edmonton said she came for free potatoes, but also to add her name to the list of people opposed to turning farmland into strip malls.
“I don’t think the city should be encroaching on this agriculture land. We can’t keep importing the food when we can grow our own here,” she said.
“It’s very important for people to realize how many people this land will feed.”
Roger Wiebe said he knew nothing about growing potatoes, but had no problem digging to learn more about agriculture.
The sight of thousands of people standing in a long line waiting for the potato digger to make another round was inspiring to Visser, who hopes the turnout will help make a difference to the fate of the agricultural land.
“I’m very grateful as many people came out to witness what great agricultural land we have right in the heart of the city. I’m hoping we’re building awareness,” said the third generation farmer.
“It’s a great thing to bring people out to touch the dirt.”
