I was quite disturbed to learn about a local farm near St. Louis-De-Kent owned by David and Lidy Scheele who live in Galloway who’ve been dealing with people stealing their potatoes. Apparently there was a rumour going around that you can go pick free potatoes at their farm. People in the area including even neighbours have been harvesting and stealing their potatoes??? Local farmer David Scheele and his wife Lidy who have been growing potatoes for over 10 years now have lost one acre of potatoes worth about $3000 due to theft. Even despite NO Trespassing signs people were still coming. People actually thought they could harvest potatoes from this farm for free??
I don’t know about you but where is the common sense here. I am going to say it how it is. Farmers work very hard to make ends meet. There are not in the business to just give away potatoes and let people come at their own will and take what they want. It seems like stealing of local produce such as potatoes has been increasing over the years in reports. Strawberries and raspberries were one I heard that happened within the last couple of years and was stolen at night. Here on their farm people are stealing potatoes during the day and actually think it’s okay. Come on people! Business is business.
They’ve actually had to call police as they had people, families picking potatoes like everything was okay. I don’t think people really know how much work there is into farming and I can totally understand how David Scheele is feeling and losing his patience on this matter. It’s ridiculous that people would believe that they were free to begin with. It’s a tough situation for them to be in as you don’t want to rock the boat so to speak with people near by that they may even know, and Lidy seems to be the one trying to resolve this calmly. David on the other hand seems very frustrated and at the end of his patience and I don’t blame him. People should use common sense really. There is nothing really free in the world today and they have contracts for potatoes to fill and trying to make a living.
When you start hearing about people picking potatoes as families and people filling up their pick up trucks that’s crazy! Come on people! No charges are being laid but David and Lidy Scheele are asking people to bring them back or at the RCMP office in Richibucto or drop off a donation in return. If things don’t change however they will have to take things to the next level. People are breaking the law, period. You wouldn’t go to a store and steal potatoes would you? No matter what you think of, it cost someone something for what we consume or buy. It’s not free, everything always has a cost to it, whether it’s money or labour.
Lidy made a wonderful comment that I read, ” You didn’t put $50,000 of fertilizer on it, you didn’t put $50,000 of spray on it, you didn’t put $30,000 of seed in it.” If people start seeing this maybe they will think twice about stealing potatoes from a local farmer. Can people really be that naive to think that they were allowed even after seeing No Trespassing signs? If I was them I would be pressing charges quickly if the publicity about this issue doesn’t hit home to the local public near that area soon. They are stealing and attacking someones livelihood. Stealing potatoes, what’s next? Come on people stealing is stealing no matter what it is?
What do you think about people stealing potatoes from their farm? Can people really be that naive?
