Despite the cool autumn weather on Sunday, September 8, Les Portes ouvertes Mangeons local en Montérégie, organized by the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec (UPA), attracted nearly 8,000 people to the ten participating farms. Among those opening their doors to visitors were Les Entreprises Julien Cousineau et Marc-André Cousineau inc, located in Les Cèdres. 

Visitors flocked enthusiastically to meet the farmers taking part in this 20th event, eagerly awaited by thousands of Quebecers. The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the work of local agricultural producers.

“Knowing how and by whom what's on our plates is produced is essential to understanding the importance of eating locally, but popularizing agriculture represents a real challenge for our sector. Thanks to the commitment of the dedicated farmers who generously opened the doors of their farms, the public had the opportunity to discover in a concrete way our daily realities, our challenges, and the issues we face. We were able to communicate the passion that drives us and demonstrate the importance of our work. I'd like to extend my warmest thanks to the owners of the host farms, as well as to all the volunteers who participated with enthusiasm and dedication to the success of this showcase day for the agricultural community,” says Jérémie Letellier, President of the UPA de la Montérégie.

Presented by the UPA since 2003, this free family event offers the opportunity to visit farms that not only welcome visitors, but also offer tastings of regional products, agricultural demonstrations, meetings with experts such as veterinarians and agronomists, and above all, privileged contact with the passionate people behind our good local products.

“For generations, agricultural producers have lived on the land, fulfilling an important mission: feeding Quebecers. For the past 20 years, the public has responded to this not-to-be-missed event, which showcases their exceptional know-how and the high-quality products they have to offer. I'd also like to highlight the incredible work of the participating farms and volunteers, who made the day a resounding success,” adds Martin Caron, General President of the UPA. 

This year, many activities took place on Montérégie farms, including farm machinery demonstrations, inflatable games, foodtrucks, a corn maze, crop explanations, animal observation, face painting for children and more.

Some even invited their neighboring producers to share their experiences with the public. Participating farms represented a wide variety of production sectors, including field crops, dairy, wine, market gardening, maple syrup and beekeeping.