(January 17th 2025 – St-Hyacinthe) On January 14th, at the Congress Centre of St-Hyacinthe, was held the Gala’s 43rd edition to announce the Quebec region winners of the Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers competition, which over 400 people attended. Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque from Yves Barré Farm of St-Damase will proudly represent Quebec at the National Event in Toronto, ON in November 2025.

In 2010, after completing his studies, Pierre-Luc Barré joined his father’s enterprise to gain experience. Since his start in the enterprise, he has been involved in all activities, from fieldwork to management. He became a shareholder of the farm in 2012, and in January 2023, he became the principal shareholder.

At the end of his studies, agriculture was not Pierre-Luc’s first choice, but after trying different fields, he decided to return to the farm to help his father. It was then that his entrepreneurial spirit emerged, and his passion for agriculture was born, leading him to enroll 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 soya, and 171 hectares of potatoes. This diversification of crops allows them to improve rotations in addition to reducing financial risk.

He is the father of three little girls with his partner, Virginie Bourque, who took the decision to leave her job at Desjardins in 2016 to lend a hand to Pierre-Luc. In addition to being there full-time for the children, Virginie took charge of the administrative management of the enterprise and is involved in business decisions. Pierre-Luc’s vision is to continue to expand the farm, increasing the cultivated areas. He is aiming for 200 hectares of potato cultivation, but in order for him 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.

Despite the fact that he is quite busy, Pierre-Luc 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-pealing 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.

The Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers competition of the Quebec region had the pleasure to present two diverse and impressive operations during the 2025 regional competition. The recognized candidates were:

• Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque- Yves Barré Farm, Saint-Damase
• Joachim Gagnon and Émilie Benoît- Darnoc – Holstein Farm, Isle Verte
• Véronique Pinsonneault and Marc-André Léger- DuSmith Farm, St-Anicet

Danny Penner, Past President of the COYF National Board, commented on the competition: “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. Three honoured farms were represented and the laureates Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque – Yves Barré Farm, have been chosen to represent Quebec at the national championships in Toronto this fall. COYF is well and alive in Quebec“.

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers competition 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. The program is sponsored nationally by Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, CIBC, John Deere, Bayer, Sollio Agriculture, Meridian Manufacturing, and CN with medias sponsors Glacier FarmMedia, and WS and video sponsor Bamboo Shoots. It is supported nationally by BDO.

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers of 2025 will be chosen during the national competition that will be held in Toronto, ON, from November 27th to 30th 2025.

-30-

For information or a picture of Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque, contact:

Francine Martin
Pro-Expo Group
Phone : (418) 877-1919 ext. 4

Carla Kaeding, competition director
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers
306-896-7833 – canadaoyf@gmail.com – www.oyfcanada.com