Michel Dignard, of Embrun, Ontario, has spent a lifetime rooted in agriculture. From his farm near Ottawa, the expert grower has managed a wide range of experience with 46 years in dairy, rabbits and cash crops. He now has a thriving mix of corn, soybeans, wheat, blueberries, raspberries and even some bees.
Now semi-retired, Dignard still manages 1,000 acres of cash crops along with his berry patches and bee colonies. But that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down, especially when it comes to staying up to date with farming tools and techniques.
One way Michel and his family stay current is to have visited Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show the last three years.
Read Also
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Acknowledging the past, seeking a better future
How can the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples be honoured in a way that gives them a proper seat at the table when it comes to farming in Canada?
For Dignard, the show is more than just machinery. He appreciates the side-by-side comparisons of crop plots and trials happening onsite.
“Right now, I’m in cash crops, so I’m looking for machinery or different things and what they do in the field, so it’s all related to grains, corns, soybeans, stuff like that,” Dignard says.
Dignard, who has attended Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show several times, says it offers something no online video or brochure ever could. It offers real, hands-on experience,
“I’m the old-fashioned guy, so I don’t like the computer that much,” says Dignard. “I prefer to see on my own what’s the new machinery and how they work.”
Dignard values opportunities to keep learning and evolving with the industry. That includes getting down into the soil and up into machines to test them out before he buys them.
For farmers like Michel who have spent their whole life in the field, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show continues to offer that by bringing the field to life in real time.
For more coverage of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2025, see our landing page.
