Members of the Thomas and Delforge family farm have been forced to bag more than 160,000 pounds of potatoes — by hand. The family farm located in Coteau-du-Lac, a city 40 minutes west of Montreal, is a major producer for regional food suppliers.
It churns out some 2,500 tons of potatoes a year for companies which then transform them into french fries and other delicacies for the restaurant industry.
The economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has lowered demand for potatoes, bringing the industry to a halt. That has left farmers like Jack Thomas with mountains of unsold produce. “This is our profits, ” Thomas said. “We have invested in this produce since 2018.” Despite the setback, Thomas and his wife Ange-Marie Delforge have