Fiona Kaiser, Ferme aux Pleines Saveurs
Fiona Kaiser was originally planning to work on a farm in Switzerland for her Agricultural Internship, but those plans changed as COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented her from leaving. Kaiser was able to begin work at Ferme aux Pleines Saveurs in Saint-André-Avellin, QC, in the Outaouais region.
Ferme aux Pleines Saveurs is an organic vegetable and fruit farm on about 55 acres of land, and is owned by Chantale Vaillancourt and Martin Turcot (BSc.Agr’94), who met when they were studying at Macdonald Campus.
The farm produces a total of 35 different fruits and vegetables, mostly for baskets, and are distributed everywhere from Montreal to Ottawa. Production takes place in greenhouses, high tunnels and fields, and the farm is staffed by 25 employees, include foreign workers.
“This year, the farm baskets were sold out at full capacity, leaving them no choice but to turn down many customers,” Kaiser described. The increase in demand for local food, especially CSA baskets, was felt across Quebec this spring. The farm, which was started in 2002, produces an impressive 875 baskets/week.
“I am learning more and more each day. I have never had the chance to learn and work on a vegetable and fruit farm before, and I am happy that I decided to experience it and take a step in an unfamiliar direction,” explained Kaiser.
She added, “I think it’s good for me to have seen more than one sector of agriculture, and this is definitely to my advantage, instead of only ever having experience on dairy farms.”
When asked what new skills she has learned that she can apply to future jobs, Kaiser said: “I am always driven to try new things and learn as much as I can to understand why and how farms do certain things the way they do. I am positive that this experience will help me and open certain doors for me in the future.”
“Overall, I am very happy that I chose this farm and got the chance to work for and learn from these amazing people,” she added,” she added.
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This article was originally published in the Quebec Farmers' Advocate August edition. It is reprinted here.