A Cape Breton strawberry farm that was afraid it would lose its current crop, got an unexpected reprieve due to the power of social media. Rendell’s Farm in Mill Creek, N.S was having trouble getting pickers, but then an area resident posted on Facebook about the situation. She reported how farm owner Edward Rendell told her how just 10 of 25 expected pickers had shown up on Wednesday.
“After that went on the Facebook last night, we’re getting a good crowd,” Rendell told CTV Atlantic. On Thursday morning, more than two dozen pickers at a time could be seen in Rendell’s strawberry fields. Some of the volunteers said they came out after seeing the social media post.
Rendell explained that heavy rain a couple of weeks earlier caused many of his berries to prematurely over-ripen. This meant that he needed more pickers, sooner. Along with a few hours in Thursday’s sunshine and warm weather, those who came out to pick stood to make a few bucks.
With Nova Scotia now into Phase 4 of reopening, and restrictions loosened even further, the hope at the farm is that there will be plenty more days when the strawberry fields are full of pickers.