Family farm operation, Eric C. Robinson Inc., getting out of potato business

A P.E.I. family-owned farm operation, Eric C. Robinson Inc., is closing the potato growing and packaging portion of its farming division to focus on the soybeans, forage and barley it already produces. 

The company, in Albany, also owns Island Lime, P.E.I. Agromart and Garden Isle Farms, which will not be affected. 

The decision was difficult but moving on from potatoes made sense, said farm manager Lori Robinson.  

"This is not a forced decision, it's a family decision to move our 200-year-old business forward," she said.

"We saw opportunities in the P.E.I. agricultural sector down the line that we had to move on. It was a good time to move on them."

Some staff to move to other parts of company

Three-quarters of the company's 2,200 acres will continue to grow soybeans, forage and barley, but the company is looking for someone to lease the remaining acres, as well as the storage and packaging facilities to continue growing potatoes.

The company employees 15 people at the farming and packaging facilities. Five of those are seasonal, working mainly in the potato operation.

Robinson said she has work for the next four or five months to finish off packing last year's crop. After that, the seasonal workers will be laid off as they normally would.

Then, half of the full-time staff will carry on with the farming division, and she says she expects to find opportunities in the other arms of the company for the remaining workers.

Any staff that do move to a different part of the company won't be doing so until at least the fall of 2019. 

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