Les Fermes FC Daigle Inc. of Drummond was named the 2017-2018 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Grand Falls during the 44th annual McCain Growers’ Banquet August 21. This year, over 200 guests gathered at Centre E&P Sénéchal to celebrate the top growers and their hard work over the past year.
Allison McCain, Chairman of McCain Foods Limited, Bryan McCourt, VP Marketing Canada and Christine Wentworth, VP Agriculture North-America extended personal congratulations to Les Fermes FC Daigle and all of the McCain growers.
Allison McCain thanked all the growers for their hard work and emphasized the current growth in the market and his optimism about the year ahead:
“The market is there and we just have to seize the opportunity.”
Christine Wentworth focused on the technological developments in agriculture and credited their success:
“Your potatoes and focus on continuous improvement enable McCain to create the best French fries and frozen potato products in the world!.”
Bryan McCourt emphasized the important role of the growers:
“You grow the most important ingredient; the potatoes that make the McCain products that families know and love.”
Front Row, L-R: Tobie Daigle, Carole Daigle, Fabien Daigle Back Row, L-R: Dale McCarthy, VP Integrated Supply Chain NA, Christine Wentworth, VP Agriculture NA, Allison McCain, Chairman, McCain Foods Limited, Luc Coté, Field Department Manager.Fabien Daigle, his wife Carole and son, Tobie, were shocked to be announced as the Champion Grower. The Daigle family has been contracting with McCain for 42 years, have held the top ten position 10 times, and this was their second time earning the Champion Grower title.
Carole Daigle:
“We were very surprised to win because the competition is fierce in this area and we are a smaller family farm.”
Fabien Daigle added:
“We can’t grow as much as others with more land, so we really focus on quality. We ensure the quality of our organic matter to grow the best potatoes.”
Special guests included Kevin McCully, Director of Agriculture, Marcel Levesque, Mayor of Saint-André, France Roussel, Mayor of Drummond, Marcel Deschênes, Mayor of Grand Falls and Chuck Chiasson, MLA for Victoria La Vallée.
The other growers who qualified for the top 10 roster, in order of final standing were:
- Les Fermes Luc Ouellette et Fils Inc. (Jean Luc Ouellette and Marie Fournier – Drummond)
- Les Fermes Lionel et Alyre Poitras (Lionel & Alyre Poitras and son Paul – Saint-André)
- Toner Produce Ltd. (Luc Gervais, Tommy Toner and daughter Jessica – Grand Falls)
- Les Fermes GIL Roberge Ltd. (Guildor Roberge and his son Luc – Saint-André)
- Givskud Farms Inc. (Mike Givskud and son Andrew – Drummond)
- Les Fermes Poitras Inc. (Rock Poitras and his sons, Luc and Brandon – Saint-André)
- Eagle Farms Ltd. (Gilles Godbout and his son, Mathieu – Saint-André)
- Les Fermes Bernard & Gérard Levesque (Bernard & Gérard Levesque – Drummond)
- Les Fermes L.P. Thériault et Fils Ltd. (Marc Thériault – Drummond)
