Every few years, the Club Holstein H.O.B. [Huntingdon, Ormstown, Beauharnois] organizes a “Twilight” event as a social gathering for farmers in the region. This year, the event was hosted by Ferme Bri-Mer on September 1.
Emmanuel Brisson, one of the owners of the farm, explains that “We just built our new barn, and we were wanting to do an open house; so, at the same time, we did an open house and merged with the club event.”
About 500 people turned up and enjoyed good food, refreshments, live music, bouncy castles, a candy stand, and a setting where farmers could socialize and have a fun day. It was a mixed gathering of farmers from different generations.
A lot of work goes into organizing an event like this. Brisson explains that all the “basic maintenance to make everything look nice and sharp” on the farm has to be done as well, and the animals have to be looking their best. It was Brisson, his mother and his sister who planned and executed the event, and the Club HOB helped by covering some of the costs. Brisson says that they also had sponsors who helped make the event possible.
In the Valley, Brisson thinks that gatherings like this are important for a few reasons. “I think it’s very important to socialize with everyone and get up to date with all the new technologies,” he says. At such events, farmers can discuss new ideas and how things might work in the future; they also get to promote their herds and receive or give advice on many aspects of dairy production.
Ferme Bri-Mer will be represented at the LBA’s Fall Festival on September 30. Brisson, his sister Véronique Brisson and Brandon Maither are organizing a cattle show with the goal of bringing in clubs from Bedford, Montréal-Vaudreuil-Soulange, and Lachute for some friendly competition. Usually, each breeder will bring 10-12 animals, with an average total of 100 head participating. The Club H.O.B. also usually has a banquet after the fall harvest, and the folks from Bri-Mer will participate in that as well.
