Local, Ecological, Community-Driven Micro-Farming
The Heartbeet Community Farm was started in 2017 by the Hudson Food Collective (HFC), a non-profit organization with the mission of fostering a thriving community food system in Hudson that is ecological, healthful, and fair.
In 2016, Robyn Rees, one of the founders of the HFC, and Loïc Freeman-Lavoie, an HFC member, invited community members interested in farming to walk a plot of land and discuss the potential for transforming it into a land trust, an area of land that is given a vocation, such as organic farming or wildlife protection, and is protected from sale. One of these attendees was Rébecca Phaneuf-Thibault, a student in McGill’s agriculture program. One conversation led to another and Loïc and Rébecca began imagining the potential for an organic community farm in Hudson. Serendipitously, the HFC discovered that the Town of Hudson had some unused municipal agricultural land that they could use across from Thompson Park. After discussing with the town, a 5-year lease was signed and so, in the summer of 2016, the Heartbeet was born and planning began for planting in the spring of 2017.
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Rébecca Phaneuf-Thibault & Loïc Freeman-Lavoie are the farm's founders and the people with the vision and the drive that brought this project to life in 2016.
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Due to the need for land preparation at the farm’s current location (723 Main), the first season of farm production was done on nearby private land. This first season was a great success, as funding was received from local organizations such as DEV and many community members enthusiastically signed up for CSA baskets. That fall, community members came together for the first farm barbecue and planting party, and several thousand cloves of garlic were lovingly placed in the soil at the permanent location in anticipation of the next summer’s harvest.
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The 2018 season proved challenging. Administrative delays meant that the well dug the previous fall was not connected to a pump, and the farm was effectively without water during the most intense heat wave in years, one that lasted nearly two months. A massive hand-watering effort was undertaken, with the Hudson fire station providing access to their water to fill large cisterns which were then brought to the farm. The very clay-heavy earth that subsequently led to flooded fields may have actually saved them that year. Finally, the heat wave broke, the well was connected to a pump, and Loïc and Rébecca ended their second season, exhausted but successful.
It has been said that the only constant in life is change, a truth never more evident than when farming. The next year was another challenging one – the spring brought never-ending rain and cool temperatures, and the heavy clay soils and lack of drainage meant the water had nowhere to go, resulting in the loss of nearly 75% of crops throughout the season. This was not an easy initiation for the new farm managers, Noel Dhingra and Virginie Nadeau, as they took over the Heartbeet. |
Noel and Virginie, our 2019 Farm Co-Managers. |
One aspect of the farm’s mission is to act as a space for aspiring young farmers to practice their craft without the onerous financial obligations of land and equipment acquisition and ownership. However, land requires time to be understood and gently coaxed into optimal production, and to learn how to weather the storms of drought and flooding, heat and cold, sickness and health. Virginie and Noel were entrepreneurial and adaptive, sourcing some produce from other local organic farms to fulfill the farm’s CSA obligations and fill up the baskets.
Noel and Bri, our 2020 Farm Co-Managers. |
Over the winter of 2019 to 2020, Noel and the HFC board of directors prioritized the development of a water management plan for the farm to control both flooding and drought via irrigation and drainage. This plan was implemented in March and April, in partnership with the Town of Hudson, alongside new measures to adapt the farm to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, Gabrielle Caron was hired as farm co-manager to replace Virginie, who took a position with another local farm and friend of the Heartbeet, Santropol Roulant.
Five years in, despite many challenges, the Heartbeet is going strong and belief in the importance of our threefold mission – to provide healthy, local, and organic food to our community; to educate people about the importance of a healthy local food system and teach them how to grow their own food; and to provide a platform for aspiring young farmers – has never been stronger. We hope to continue for many years to come, and sow the seeds of a better tomorrow every season. |
Texte en cours de traduction.
How the farm came to life, from 2016-2018:
La ferme de 2016 à 2018:
