Island pride and dedication is deep-rooted in our local food community.
Prince Edward Island is home to farmers, fishers, artisans, producers, chefs, and generations of families that have passed down their passion for local food.
We’re the land of ‘roll-up-your-sleeve’ farmers who know having their clothes covered in red dirt is all part of a hard day’s work. And as you drive across our Island taking in the colours and beauty of our different crops, you’ll also spot hardworking fishers out in the water hauling up their latest catches.
No matter where you go on Prince Edward Island, you’re bound to meet someone connected to our food industries, and responsible for helping to bring only the freshest and best to our tables.
So make sure to ‘thank a farmer’ when you can as we welcome everyone to our table!
MEET SOME OF OUR ISLAND FARMERS & PRODUCERS
Compliments of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
PRIDE IN OUR PEI AGRICULTURE
POTATOES
PEI has 86,000 acres of land devoted to potato production; this accounts for over 20% of all cropland in Prince Edward Island.
GRAINS & OIL SEEDS
125 Island farms produce grains and oilseed with 167,500 acres seeded for barley, oats, wheat and soybean.
FRUITS
Apple orchards have grown by over 233% acres since 2014, while blueberries remain the central crop with 95% of fruit production land devoted to the crop.
HONEY BEES
The Island honeybee industry supplies approximately 4,450 colonies of bees for pollination services to the province’s fruit crops.
VEGETABLES
Carrots accounted for 14,490 tons of production in 2018, while a diverse range of other vegetables are grown including tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, peppers and other fine herbs.
BEEF
Beef production is a major part of the agriculture industry and occurs on 35% of PEI farms.
DAIRY
In 2018, 161 Island farms with milk shipments accounted for over 120 million litres of production.
HOGS
The PEI Hog Industry ships 1,000 to 1,300 hogs to market per week; each hog takes 6 months to reach a market weight of 125kg.
POULTRY
PEI produced 3.79 million dozen eggs worth over $5.8 million in 2018.
Say ‘Hello’ To PEIFA!
Since 1941, the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture (PEIFA) has been the voice of Island Farmers. They are made up of 550 farm families and 17 different farm organizations covering the breadth of farming on the Island.
For more information on the PEI Federation of Agriculture, visit www.peifa.ca. Find out more about farm events happening across PEI at www.farmfoodcarepei.org.
PEI Burger Love is proud to have the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture as a co-title sponsor for this year’s campaign. What better way to celebrate ‘Welcoming Everything Local to the Table’ than with the folks that represent all those who harvest and produce the amazing ingredients for our tables.
