Portrait of a farmer | Receive at his farm… and lend it

While we value local purchases and farm-to-table consumption more than ever, The Press hits the road again this summer to meet craftsmen and agricultural workers. Last portrait of a series of six, with Marie-Thérèse Bonnichon from the Au pied levé farm.

Emilie Cote
The Press

When we arrived at the Au pied levé farm, Marie-Thérèse Bonnichon always had guests in the glazed dining room of her house with a breathtaking view of Mount Orford. She comes to welcome us in the shop space open to the public.

“We’ve been up since 3 a.m. because we had 220 guinea fowl to take to the slaughterhouse. Denis is still gone, ”she says.

Marie-Thérèse Bonnichon and her husband Denis Carrier wear several hats. They are farmers, more precisely breeding, but also the hosts of a lodging – of five rooms and a dormitory – and of a country table.

Not to mention that the couple lends part of their land to two young market gardeners and agricultural students.

Originally from the South Shore, the parents of five boys have five grandchildren. Before buying their farmland in Magog 15 years ago, Marie-Thérèse worked as a nurse, while her lover is an exhibition designer, notably for the Pointe-à-Callière museum.

“Denis is going to retire. This will give us a bit of air, ”says Marie-Thérèse.

Let’s say that “retirement” is a relative concept for the owners of Au pied levé. They are busy from morning to evening with the farm, the gîte and the kitchen. Their son and a cleaning man help them, but it is hard to imagine their daily routine.

Marie-Thérèse prepares breakfasts and six-course dinners. The day after our visit, she had to plan time to cut up the guinea fowl that had left the slaughterhouse.

“It’s endless,” she says, but it’s not negative.

Marie-Thérèse says she follows the rhythm of the animals and the farm. “I am always in the here and now. »

It must be said that the farm and the gîte are a magnificent place. Grazing animals are nearby. Geese and ducks surround the corridor of vines where Marie-Thérèse and Denis take refuge to go and have their coffee and their aperitif behind the guests of the gîte. “It’s our secret garden. »

Having a gite is a kind of vocation and a place where authenticity reigns. “We have a place that attracts interested people like us. It is not a crossing point. People move and stay here. They speak to us and make us speak. »

self-taught farmers

You will have understood that Au pied levé is a farm with a rather unique concept.

Initially, when Denis and Marie-Thérèse bought their land located on Fitch Bay Road, near Lake Lovering, they had no specific plan. They considered growing elderberry, but early snow scuttled their plans, so the couple eventually acquired a herd of about ten Highland cows.

All without prior training. “She’s a hardy cow who has little babies, so she calves on her own,” says Marie-Thérèse.

“We raise veal, pork, kid, goose, duck, guinea fowl, chicken and a little turkey,” she explains. Animals are largely self-sufficient. All in all, you need to intervene very little with them.

For four years, Marie-Thérèse and Denis have been lending part of their land for a market gardening project. The first to benefit from it was Dominic Labelle, who now manages the renowned Parcelles country land.

Magali Thibodeau and Josué St-Roch have been cultivating the garden area of ​​Denis and Marie-Thérèse’s land for three years. “The agreement is that we cultivate their land and provide them with vegetables. We also sell it at the shop, explains Magali. It’s not cheap, agricultural land, so it’s perfect for doing our classes. »

Josué St-Roch was working at Manoir Hovey when he got the call of farming. Going from asparagus from Quebec to those from South America is not the same freshness, he explains.

The harvest period is so short in “the small-scale local”, adds Marie-Thérèse. “When it’s over, it’s until next year!” It’s fleeting and people have to understand that. »

The public also needs to understand how small farmers are caught between the price consumers and suppliers want to pay. “We have to play our cards right. The gîte allows us to showcase our products. This diversifies our activities. »

Finally, let’s highlight one of Marie-Thérèse’s great qualities: making people feel that she has plenty of time.