No small potatoes, Mr. Trump: America needs Canadian farmers
Tom Campbell has lived the American Dream. A dream that had its beginnings in the nutrient-rich soils of North Dakota’s Red River Valley, where, once upon a time, he was raised as the son of a humble mail carrier in a swath of country characterized by rich and prosperous sugar beet and potato farmers.
His father was neither rich nor prosperous, but worked a steady job while also tilling a small plot of land that produced some grain and barley, but certainly didn’t produce the big bucks that the big farms across “the road” enjoyed and that a young Tom and his brothers aspired to.
The Campbell boys were fresh out of high school in 1978 when they took their shot at the good life and showed up at the bank on the nearby town’s main street for a meeting with a loan officer. They had no collateral, no working capital and nothing much to speak of whatsoever, save for a wealth of youthful enthusiasm and character, which was enough to get them a US$9,000 loan to buy some “junk” equipment and then plant and harvest their first potato crop.
“The farmers across the road were laughing at us, but, you know, I was living the American dream and I loved it,” he said. “Ever since then, there’s been nothing but good news and expansion, and that’s how I came to meet Wayne Rempel at a potato growers’ meeting in Texas in 2000. I consider Wayne to be one of my closest friends.”
That feeling is mutual. Rempel, who is renowned for his field management strategies and above-ground irrigation solutions, is a dreamer, too, but his potato creation story has its roots in the Red River Valley soil near Winkler, Man., an hour north of his buddy’s North Dakota spread. The international border has not prevented friendships or business relationships between
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