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Quebec names Outstanding Young Farmer candidates

Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque from Yves Barré Farm of St-Damase, Que., will proudly represent the province at Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer’s national event in Toronto in November 2025.

After completing his studies in 2010, Pierre-Luc Barré joined his father’s enterprise to gain experience in all areas, from fieldwork to management. He became a shareholder of the farm in 2012 and became the principal shareholder in January 2023.

Barré enrolled at St-Hyacinthe’s ITA in horticultural, vegetable, and fruit production. When he arrived at the farm, the crops included onions, hot peppers, sweet corn, and field corn. In 2012, he decided to start potato production, which has now become their most important crop. He now cultivates 158 hectares of field corn, 46 hectares of beans for processing, 14 hectares of fresh sweet corn, 67 hectares of soybeans, and 171 hectares of potatoes. This diversification of crops allows them to improve rotations in addition to reducing financial risk.

Barré and his partner Virginie Bourque have three young girls. Bourque began working on the farm in 2016 and took charge of the administrative management of the enterprise, and is involved in business decisions. Barré’s vision is to continue to expand the farm, increasing the cultivated areas and aiming for 200 hectares of potato cultivation. In order to achieve this, he will have to increase the enterprise’s cultivated area to a bit over 1,000 hectares, either by purchasing or renting new plots.

Barré continues to invest in his training and is also actively involved at the UPA within the federation of Quebec potato producers and as vice-president and president of the pre-peeling committee within the executive committee. These positions allow him to stay on top of market trends and to represent members at various events in North America.

In addition to Barré and Bourque, two additional farm operations were recognized within the Quebec region:

•      Joachim Gagnon and Émilie Benoît- Darnoc – Holstein Farm, Isle Verte
•      Véronique Pinsonneault and Marc-André Léger- DuSmith Farm, St-Anicet

“The Quebec alumni did a fantastic job in maintaining a fantastic turnout for their event even after changing its date and venue. The Gala was attended by more than 400 alumni, sponsors, dignitaries and friends,” said Danny Penner, past-president of the COYF National Board, in a press release. “COYF is well and alive in Quebec.”

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers is an annual competition aimed at rewarding the farmers who demonstrate excellence in their profession and promoting agriculture’s huge contribution. Open to participants aged 18 to 39 years old, whose major source of income comes from agricultural sources, participants are selected from seven regions in Canada, and two national winners are chosen each year. Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers of 2025 will be chosen during the national competition, to be held in Toronto from Nov. 27-30, 2025.

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