Watching social media videos about potato farming doesn’t sound like the most enticing activity, but fifth-generation farmer Tyler Heppell, known as Potato Ty, is changing that. After pivoting from a corporate job into his family farming business, he’s since grown a TikTok following of over 817.4k by documenting his life as a farmer in Surrey. Here’s how he did it.
Hashing out the details
From showing how vegetables are farmed and harvested to being vulnerable about things that can go wrong in the farming process, Heppell gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at something most of us don’t get to see: how our food gets from the land to the grocery store.
@heppellspotato What happens when there is more dirt clumps than potatoes. This only happens once a year, our field got wet last night and the heat wave turned the field into dirt clumps 🥲 #farmtok #potatotiktok #farmer #harvest #agriculture #problemsolving #howitsmade ♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED
Being a-peel-ing to the audience
Heppell talks about the hardships he goes through as a farmer, but he also makes it known they are not isolated problems. He shares content about how rising grocery prices, food insecurity and disappearing farmland are all intertwined—while always answering the question “Why should my audience care?”
@heppellspotato Food insecurity should be at the top of everyone’s agenda. 1/3 British Columbians visited a food bank last year #britishcolumbia #canada #foodprices #farming ♬ original sound – Potato Ty
Mastering the hook
What do asking questions, purposeful improper grammar, debunking myths and eating a raw potato on camera have in common? They all hook audiences and generate engagement. In this clip, Heppell asks his audience to guess if a bucket of squash seeds that “costed us $3,800” will make money. Viewers pointed out the grammatical error—then watched to the end to hear the answer.
@heppellspotato The truth about how farmers make money… would you take a risk this big? Let me know if you want to try this squash and maybe I’ll send you some 😊 #farmtok #farming #agriculture #vegetables #farm ♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED
Giving back to the community
When things move from digital to IRL, something magical happens. Heppell’s Potatoes puts on an annual event called Ugly Potato Day, where they give out produce that doesn’t meet grocery store standards but is still good enough to eat. Drawn in by Heppell’s social media posts about the event, over 15,000 people showed up to collect free groceries.
@heppellspotato What Cities should we host Ugly Potato day in?? Also big shout out to Fobi for allowing us to have time slots and making our event even more organized!! #uglypotatoday ♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED
