Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Day 3: More farms and fun in Quebec

After participating in the famous local tradition that is Montreal International Jazz Festival, the class packed up and headed for the border, making stops along the way before crossing.

The first stop was La Ferme Quinn, a 150-acre agri-tourism farm on the borders of Montreal. We were enthusiastically greeted at the farm by Farmer Phil and his wife Stephanie, and we eagerly jumped on a wagon ride for a full tour. With so many different crops on the farm, including strawberries, sweet corn and Christmas trees – each available in u-pick for the public – Farmer Phil stressed the importance of his success by providing each guest on their farm with the best quality product and the best quality experience. This includes communicating to the public all on-farm practices that go into producing the best quality product. This open communication allows for people to have a greater connection to what they are eating and why they are paying the highest price in the province for the product. To end the tour, we were able to walk through their construction zone, where they are expanding their storage and retail space threefold. Their pride and spirit for the farm was contagious and there was an urge for more as we all headed back to the bus.


Continuing our travels, we stopped for lunch at Centre de santé Euro-spa. This quiet country inn was certainly spa like. After a delicious buffet, Robin lead the class in a few needed stretches on the lawn. Then it was back on the bus. Our next stop wasn't far off, the Bonduelle plant in Bedford, Quebec. The plant manager Robert Deschamps met us at the spa and led us to the site. We split into two groups to alternatively tour the plant with Sebastien Smith and learn about Bonduelle from Robert. During Robert's presentation, we watched a video about the multinational and learned just how large this multinational company is. The plant in Quebec is one of 44 plants in 11 countries. Their mission is "Living well through wholesome vegetables" and they take quality, safety and relationships with stakeholders very seriously. It's obviously working. They package 100 brands for other labels, co-pack and have their own brand Arctic Gardens. This multi-pronged approach is very effective as Bonduelle enjoys 85% of the Canadian market share. With 12 plants in North America including Quebec, Ontario and Alberta they focus on having plants very close to the farms who supply them due to the perishability of the product. Timing is critical.


Next it was off to tour the plant. We watched as cutting edge equipment received, cleaned, sorted and blanched about a trillion peas an hour. Kidding of course, but it sure did seem like it, as waves of peas worked their way through the various processes. You could tell that Bonduelle doesn't entertain tours here regularly and it was just another example of the AALP program opening doors for us.


After thanking Robert and Sebastien, it was back on the bus. Our border crossing was uneventful and the day ended at the Ramada Inn in Albany, New York.


All in all, another great day of learning, touring and spending time together.

Views: 396

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Dry Ontario Weather Dents Canadian Corn, Soy Output

Canada’s final 2025 corn and soybean production numbers are in, and both crops finished the year noticeably weaker than Statistics Canada had projected in September. Drier late-season conditions in Eastern Canada reduced yields, pushing corn and soybean totals below earlier expectations and under last year’s levels, Statistics Canada’s survey crop production report on Thursday showed. Nationwide corn production has slipped to 14.867 million tonnes, down from StatsCan’s model-based September estimate of 15.5 million tonnes and 3.1% below last year’s crop. Yields were the key factor, falling to 162.2 bu/acre, below September’s 165.3 bu/acre forecast and down from 168.1 bu/acre in 2024. Harvested area grew slightly to 3.6 million acres, but not enough to counter the yield losses. Soybean output dropped to 6.793 million tonnes, below September’s 7.133 million-tonne forecast and 10.2% below 2024 levels. Yields slipped to 43.5 bu/acre, below September’s 45.7 bu forecast and down from

Celebrate Farm Transition Appreciation Day on January 8, 2026

Farm Management Canada, together with partners across Canada’s agricultural community, is proud to announce that Farm Transition Appreciation Day (FTADay) will take place on Thursday January 8, 2026. FTADay is a national initiative designed to encourage and celebrate the progress Canada’s farmers are making to secure the future of farming through farm transition planning. It has created a groundswell movement to motivate farmers to start, restart, and keep going on their farm transition journey, farmers, advisors, agricultural organizations, and industry leaders are invited to share stories and advice through a national campaign using social media, agricultural media and hosting learning events across Canada to encourage Canada’s farmers. This year’s theme, The Future is Now, highlights the importance of taking proactive steps today to strengthen the resilience, continuity, and long-term sustainability of Canada’s farming community. “The New Year is the perfect time to reflect on and

Dairy Farmers Of Ontario Brings Holiday Magic To Children's Hospitals With Annual Holiday Donation And Heartwarming Milk And Cookies Pop-up

This season, in the spirit of spreading holiday magic and supporting our communities, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) will make a donation of $500,000 to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and other Ontario children's hospitals in Hamilton (McMaster Children's Hospitals), London (Children's Hospital) and Ottawa (CHEO). Since 2019, DFO's cumulative donation of $3.6M supports the highest-priority needs across the hospitals and initiatives for patients and families spending the holidays in Ontario children's hospitals. Beyond the donation and inspired by the tradition of milk & cookies for Santa, Dairy Farmers of Ontario is inviting Ontarians to rally around patients in Ontario children's hospitals. The ritual of leaving out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve sparks holiday magic and joy. However, for children spending the holidays in hospitals, they worry that Santa won't know where to find them. So, to let these kids know we are all thinking of them, DFO's annual Milk &

Worst bird-flu season in years hits Alberta’s poultry farmers

Alberta’s poultry producers are working through the worst avian flu season in years. Scott Olson has been through it twice before. The Wetaskiwin-area turkey farmer lost his 10,000-bird flock in the spring of 2022, when the wild geese migration passed over, then again when they returned in the fall.  Now he is dealing with his third outbreak and third cull. Olson is again pressure-washing his two large barns — disinfecting them as he awaits an inspection — and preparing to restart a recertified operation after Christmas with new hatchlings.  “It’s such a bad disease,” said Olson, also a director with Alberta Turkey Producers.  “We work with a stamp-out policy, essentially so we’re not affecting our neighbours … It’s like a fire: you’re just trying to put the fire out.” Olson’s was one of 11 commercial poultry farms in Alberta under the direction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as active quarantine and containment zones as of Nov. 30.  There were six in all of 2024 in Alb

Collège Boréal tackles crop-damaging fruit fly in Ontario

Researchers at Collège Boréal in Sudbury have declared war on an invasive fruit fly that could threaten fruit crops in northeastern Ontario. Morel Kotomale, an associate researcher in agricultural research, and Jean Pierre Kapongo, a professor in Collège Boréal’s agriculture programs, are leading a two-year project to find new ways of combatting the spotting wing drosophila, an invasive fruit fly. The insect attacks most temperate-climate fruits, including cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, the college noted. It was first detected in British Columbia in 2009 and had spread to most fruit-growing regions by 2010. Crop losses can range between 20 per cent and 100 per cent of yields, representing an estimated annual value of $6.8 million. Boréal will be aided in its efforts with $150,000 from the Ontario Agri-food Research Initiative, which Research and Innovation Boréal, the college's applied research arm, announced Nov. 28. “Thanks to the growing expertise of our

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service