The shirts highlight the strength of the ag community
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A small design project for a friend in Prince Edward Island has turned into a rallying cry for local potato farmers.
A friend from a potato farm family approached Kristina Allen, a designer and owner of Elysian Weddings & Events, to create a t-shirt to pay tribute to the 2018 harvest.
“Everyone knows that Island farmers have had a difficult year,” she told Farms.com.
Heavy rains and cold temperatures created tough harvest conditions, but also helped strengthen bonds within the farming community. A group of farmers came together over the weekend, for example, to help a fellow potato producer finish his harvest.
Allen’s t-shirt design is simple, yet effective.
It features the caption “I SURVIVED THE 2018 PEI POTATO HARVEST.” An image of three potatoes is underneath.
“The shirts are a reminder that, yes, it was a tough season, but they got through it. They can get through anything,” Allen said. “What started as a little fun project has turned into a point of pride for the farmers who wear them.”
Allen thought the t-shirt orders would stop at one. But interest in the shirts increased after a photo of the shirt appeared on social media.
“Messages about the shirts has really picked up lately,” Allen said. “I’ve received somewhere around 50 orders and have had farmers reach out to ask for shirts for their whole staff as a thank you for their hard work this year.”
She’s even had some of her wedding clients ask for the shirts.
“Some of the brides I work with have also asked for shirts for themselves because they’ve essentially been farm widows,” Allen said with a laugh.
Anne Phillips photo