This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
We don’t turn 100 every day! It is this venerable age that the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) is celebrating this year, and with it an important part of our collective history. Through its journey, its struggles, its small and large victories, its challenges and, of course, the celebrations that accompany this century of solidarity, let us salute the essential mission of those who feed us every day.
On October 3, 1924, readers of the newspaper The Duty discovered the holding, the day before and the day before that, of a congress in Quebec City that led to the creation of the Catholic Union of Farmers (UCC), the very first provincial association of farmers. At the time, this profession was common, since in 1921 Quebec had some 137,619 farms on its territory, compared to 29,381 in 2021.
“There were farmers in every family then,” confirms Martin Caron, owner of the Macha dairy and cereal farm and current president of the UPA, which succeeded the UCC in 1972. “And almost all of the young people had a connection with the land, since they went to work in the fields in the summer.”
Why did the future UPA come into being in the first place? Because Quebec farmers felt they did not recognize themselves in the new agricultural model imposed by the Ministry of Agriculture, created in 1901, after generations of traditional family farming.
“The UCC was therefore created with the aim of uniting and acting, rather than suffering,” summarizes Mr. Caron. The negotiating strength of the association that became a union has indeed borne fruit, with major economic and social advances. It is to it that we owe, for example, the electrification of the countryside, the Crop Insurance Act (state compensation in the event of a poor harvest), the creation of the Office du crédit agricole du Québec (which allowed the mechanization of farms), the stabilization of prices for several commodities, and international cooperation with several African countries. Today, the UPA brings together 25 specialized groups and represents 42,000 producers, 89,000 jobs, and nearly $12.9 billion in revenue (in 2023).
“Our agriculture is now modern and competitive,” says Martin Caron. “Our expertise in maple syrup production and in growing wild blueberries and cranberries is internationally recognized. Our great strength also lies in our diversity, with local organic farms—Quebec is a Canadian leader in this area—as well as large producers and cooperatives. However, we must be more mobilized than ever to address the current and future challenges of our industry.”
These challenges are notorious: lack of agricultural succession and manpower, cannibalization and exorbitant land prices, resilience in the face of climate change, environmental preservation, government nonchalance… The UPA will have many projects to undertake in the coming years. But for now, it’s time to celebrate a 100e well deserved birthday!
100 years, that’s worth celebrating!
To mark this pivotal stage in its history, the UPA has put together a special programme this year, with an exhibition presented in museums and a web series on the theme From the heart to the bellyas well as a special notebook and a short film, Inhabiting the earthprojected in several regions.
“This short film, which tells the story of rural Quebec over the last 100 years, says a lot about us, farmers,” says Mr. Caron. “Because we don’t occupy this land, we inhabit it, we take root there, we develop it.”
An observation shared by Christian Hébert, the committed cider maker who produced Coeur vaillant, the UPA’s anniversary drink. While agriculture no longer attracts many younger generations, he, on the contrary, has always wanted to become a farmer. “I saved all my paychecks during 12 years of service in the Royal Canadian Navy to be able to buy land,” he confides.
His dream came true in 2010 on an abandoned piece of land in Deschambault-Grondines, where he planted an orchard, a strawberry field and a raspberry field. There, he produces ciders using the traditional method and farm ciders like this Coeur vaillant, which is flavoured with currants, a small fruit that is a nod to Quebec’s agricultural history, since it was already being picked and processed 100 years ago.
“This cider is a gift to all our producers who work very hard to feed us,” he says proudly. “Because farming is the noblest profession in the world.” It is with the same pride that his cider house will participate, like some fifty farms across Quebec, some of which are rarely accessible to the public, in the Mangeons local open house on September 8. Tours, workshops, tastings, tractor rides and much more will be on the menu for this day that has become very popular.
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.