Clifford Welsh

Clifford Welsh – Local Journalism Initiative

SHAWVILLE – Friends, family and local politicians gathered at the Little Red Wagon Winery, April 26, to watch as Pontiac MNA André Fortin presented Chris Judd, a local farmer and community activist, with the National Assembly Medal for his 60 years of contributions to the wellbeing of the Pontiac.  

Fortin said he and his team decided to honour 10 individuals who’ve made tremendous contributions to the region, with Judd as the first. “As Agriculture Critic, I attend events all across the province and without exception, someone will say to me, ‘I know someone from the Pontiac, Chris Judd!” he told the crowd. Fortin emphasized the “passion Chris has shown for every aspect of agriculture across the province and the contributions he has made to promoting and bringing awareness to family, health and environment issues over the last decades.”

Clarendon Mayor Ed Walsh said Judd’s hard work and dedication to community issues made him richly deserving of the honour. Shawville Mayor Bill McLeary, who worked on Judd’s farm when he was 12 years old, expressed appreciation for all the contributions Judd has made and continues to make to the area.

After receiving the award, Judd humbly noted “It has to be fun” and “It takes a whole community to make things work.”

In an interview with the Journal, Judd spoke about how he has always seen himself as someone who “starts the fire” to get others concerned about issues affecting us all. He first got involved with 4H as a youngster and was part of one of the initial groups that founded Quebec Young Farmers in 1964. He has also been active in the Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA) for 50 years, the PLQ milk board (Les Producteurs de lait du Québec) for over 40 years and has served on the PBQ beef board (Les Producteurs de bovins du Québec). Judd served two terms as a councillor in Shawville before becoming provincial president of the UPA.

Judd said that without the support of his wife and co-operator of their farm, Jean McMullin Judd, there’s no way he would have been able to do all he has done. “The three most important things for a farmer’s success are their mate, their banker and their mechanic, in that order,” he said, quoting a book.

When asked about his current concerns for the Pontiac, Judd listed mental health as his biggest, followed by dealing with local waste and acknowledging climate change and its effects on farming.

Clifford Welsh – Local Journalism Initiative

LITCHFIELD – Pontiac food producers attracted the attention of government representatives and federal farm assistance organizations during Farm Safety Week. On March 12, Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel, MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller and Farm Credit Canada representative Carole-Anne Nadeau toured Bryson Farms and the new greenhouse project Jean Zhang, a local businessman and Bryson councillor, is pursuing behind the Ultramar gas bar.

Zhang and his nephew Ryan, with the help of local labour, have been working for the last two years on the greenhouse. Zhang adapted the 50’ x 200’ Chinese-designed passive solar building using as many local materials and workers as possible. He’s also experimenting with a system of compost-generated heat for the cooler months using European technology called Biomeiler with the help of Cathy Fox, a Bryson resident and composting advocate.

A Chinese passive solar greenhouse provides constant, year-round temperatures, naturally and passively, with little reliance on the heating and cooling systems seen in many conventional greenhouses. Originally designed in China to feed millions of people, the design cleverly uses nature itself to produce the ingredients to fuel the inside of the greenhouse with minimal effort – even in the winter. The earthen mound on the back wall absorbs heat from the sun and radiates it into the building and the retractable tarpaulin can be rolled down at night to retain accumulated heat from the daylight hours.

Chatel explained how it’s critical that Canada increase food production as increasing pressures on US food production due to climate change and water issues make America less reliable as a source of import.

Stuart Collins of Bryson Farms hopes federal representatives can assist in attracting foreign seasonal workers to fill the gap in the local labour force. 

Joanne Labadie, Chatel’s assistant, noted municipalities need to create local infrastructure through the TECQ (gas tax) grant to facilitate housing for foreign workers.

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) is a public awareness campaign focusing on the importance of farm safety. It takes place every year during the third week of March; this year from March 10 to 16.