Philip

The Alsace region of France has had a long history of conflict and occupation, so when Philip's family sought a more peaceful existence seven generations ago, they turned their sights to Canada. “There’s a story about my ancestors,” says Philip, “that they were bringing a herd of cattle to Canada for their new farm, and the ship ran out of food, so they slaughtered one to feed everyone.” The first family members settled in Haldimand County. Over the years, they moved to neighbouring Norfolk County.

Philip’s journey with the pigs on their operation in Norfolk county began as a contract barn in 1998. “Throughout the generations, our family has been in and out of pigs many times. We got the opportunity to buy 250 pigs a week and eventually moved it up to 600 a week,” he recalls. In 2014 he bought a nearby barn and since then has worked to improve and grow production. He now runs a 1,500-sow farrow-to-finish operation on 700 acres. “We also built a chicken barn for 55,000 broiler chickens in 2018 and at the time of construction might have been the largest single-storey chicken barn in Canada. We try to be leading-edge with everything we do.”

“When I finished high school, my dad started giving me more and more responsibility, so the transition was pretty gradual,” Philip notes. “Mom and dad are still fully involved, and it’s priceless to have that experience available. My wife works on the farm, and my sisters used to. My oldest son is 13, and he’s pretty interested in the farm, so one day, I hope we can do the same for him. It can be a tough business; I wish we were less dependent on other countries, and there are a lot of external factors that are out of our control, but I feel very excited about what we’re leaving for the next generation.”