{"id":5954,"date":"2019-10-03T12:01:46","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T16:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/?p=5954"},"modified":"2019-10-03T12:02:07","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T16:02:07","slug":"ferme-du-haut-vallon-a-true-family-affair-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/blogue\/ferme-du-haut-vallon-a-true-family-affair-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferme du Haut-Vallon : A True Family Affair"},"content":{"rendered":"

I received quite a welcome when I arrived at the Ferme du\u00a0Haut-Vallon, located in Frelighsburg, at the foot of Mount Pinacle. The farm dog announced my arrival, and, as I was about to knock on the door, two very affectionate cats started purring as they settled around my feet. As for the sheep, they just continued to quietly graze on one of the 125 acres of the domain.<\/p>\n

Denise B\u00e9langer opens the door for me and offers to sit outside at the picnic table which overlooks the magnificent English-style garden behind the house. From here, I have a splendid view of the beautiful farm buildings which date back to 1837. They\u2019ve been renovated, but they\u2019ve kept their olden-day charm. Her daughter, Jasmine, joins us.<\/p>\n

You must understand that the Ferme du\u00a0Haut-Vallon has become a family project today. Denise B\u00e9langer and Pierre Jobin launched their farm in 2005; and since 2013, their daughter Jasmine has been part of the team. Between two trips, their son Nicholas helps out as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband was born here. He grew up in a local family orchard enterprise. As for me, I teach at the University of Montreal\u2019s Facult\u00e9 de m\u00e9decine v\u00e9t\u00e9rinaire, in Saint-Hyacinthe. Before retiring, we wanted to change our own lifestyle and offer our children a better way of life.\u201d Denise explains. This is why they left Mont-Saint-Hilaire, thirteen years ago, to buy a farm in Frelighsburg.<\/p>\n

The B\u00e9langer family now produces apples, raspberries, certified organic garlic, apple juice and sparkling, and maple syrup. They also raise range-fed lambs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Call of the Farm<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When she started, Jasmine didn\u2019t think that her parents\u2019 farm would become her life project, but fate decided otherwise!<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 15 years old when my parents bought the property. I studied Political Science at the University of Montreal, but every weekend I would come back home. While I was completing my master\u2019s thesis\u2014on supply management\u2014I was living in Ontario; So, I couldn\u2019t come back as often,\u201d she explains. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized that I missed it more than I thought I would. So, after I finished my master\u2019s degree, I decided to move back and spend four seasons on the farm to see if it was really for me. Finally, I never questioned myself again, and I\u2019ve been here ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jasmine lives in the apartment above her parents\u2019 home, which is bi-generational. Although Denise and Pierre are still very much involved in the farm, and have not yet retired, the young woman has taken on more and more responsibilities, to everyone\u2019s satisfaction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proceeding with a progressive transfer of responsibilities so that within the next five years I\u2019ll be making all the decisions concerning the farm. I\u2019m already in charge of the accounting and our collective marketing system,\u201d explains this dynamic farmer. \u201cI\u2019m the farm delegate for all the meetings we must attend. I\u2019m also Director of the Producteurs des\u00a0Bio Locaux, a local organic producers\u2019 association.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bio Locaux (organic and local) is a group of certified organic farms that offer their products using a subscription format during both the summer and winter seasons. They occupy a stand at different farmers\u2019 markets throughout the summer as well. The products of the Ferme du\u00a0Haut-Vallon are also available at certain points of sale in the Brome-Missisquoi region, and, of course, at their self-serve stand on the farm. However, to purchase their lamb products, you\u2019ll have to contact the farm directly to reserve because they disappear quickly.<\/p>\n

Finally, if today the Ferme Haut Vallon is truly a family affair, it\u2019s in part because of the entire B\u00e9langer-Jobin family, their friends, but also many people inside the community who participate in their success. They come here to help out during different strategic moments throughout the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, during the sugaring season, we drill 1,000 tap holes in the traditional way, with a spout and a bucket. The maple sap is boiled over a wood fire. We need help for all these operations. However, we have a lot of fun while we\u2019re working. In the evening, we prepare big suppers for everyone. This cooperation is part of your business strategy because if we had to hire 10 people for each rush period, it just wouldn\u2019t work,\u201d confides Denise. \u201cThis is how things used to work in the past, cooperating as a family, between friends and neighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I received quite a welcome when I arrived at the Ferme du\u00a0Haut-Vallon, located in Frelighsburg, at the foot of Mount […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[146],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gourmet_delights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5955,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5954\/revisions\/5955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourismebrome-missisquoi.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}