Two couples from opposite sides of the country have been selected as this year’s outstanding young farmers.
Marco Couture and Lyne Groleau of St. Remi de Tingwick, Que., and David and Lisa Taylor of Courtenay, B.C., were selected from seven regional finalists at the national event held in Calgary, Nov. 21.
“No one goes up the ladder with your hands in your pocket,” said Groleau, and each of the seven nominated couples was evidence of that attitude.
All emphasized strong family ties and a determination to make agriculture work by taking innovative approaches with valued-added businesses attached to their farms and a strong commitment to the land.
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Couture and Groleau met at a Quebec agriculture college. Groleau returned to her family’s dairy and was hired as a consultant to Societe Cooperative du Prevert while Couture was working on his family’s dairy farm and as a crop production consultant.
In 1992, Groleau and Couture took over the pork side of her family’s farm, where the couple worked as equal partners. A serious disease outbreak in 2003 was a considerable setback but they still decided to start their own processing plant in 2004, which Couture manages.
Groleau handles the livestock side of the operation although all decisions for both businesses are made jointly. They believe running the farm and meat business protects them from price downturns.
They farm 20 acres of land and have built their herd up to 180 sows with average production of 27 piglets per sow per year. They do not have any cropland so they formed agreements to spread manure on their neighbours’ land.
The farm and processing plant are open to visitors to promote awareness about their pork products and agriculture.
They have five daughters aged nine to 15.
David and Lisa Taylor also met in university where he earned a degree in business administration and Lisa became a teacher in the Vancouver area. They returned to the family dairy in 1995 and, along with his brother and father, built up Viewfield Farms Ltd.
The herd started as a commercial operation on 330 acres, but they decided over time to develop an elite purebred Holstein herd.
David said his ambition early on was to raise a cow that achieved the excellent rating under the Holstein system. Today the herd has six cows that rate excellent, 47 that are very good and 76 that are good plus. In 2006, they won the highest award available for milk quality on Vancouver Island.
In addition, they set aside 20 acres of undeveloped land on the farm to use as a private campground. Lisa continues to teach and organize farm tours for schoolchildren. They have three children aged seven to 13 who are involved in sports and 4-H.
The other regional finalists were: Wayne and Nicole Oulton of Windsor, N.S., who own a mixed species abattoir, keep livestock and an apple orchard; Chris and Christy Hiemstra of Alymer, Ont., beekeepers who run an on-farm store; Major Jay and Angela Fox of Eddytstone, Man., fourth generation cattle producers who run more than 400 Hereford-Angus commercial cows; Kris and Rhonda Mayerle, Tisdale, Sask., pedigreed seed growers who have a custom harvesting business; and Duane and Christie Movald, purebred Simmental breeders from Breton, Alta.
