Wendall Conner

Executive Member

Farming is in his blood.

Like many other QFA board members, Wendall Conner, of North Hatley, comes from a farming family. However, his agricultural roots date back more than 200 years.

“My great-great-grandfather settled here in the early 1800s,” he says. “And there have been Conners farming this land ever since, my son Brian being the sixth generation.”

Conner’s 4-year-old grandson, Casey, (pictured above) is now the seventh generation to live on the family farm.

Growing up, Conner helped out on his father’s dairy farm and was a member of the local 4H.

When he took over his father’s farm in 1978, he switched from Holsteins and dairy production to Polled Herefords. At the time, he maintained a small farm of twenty-some cows but also worked for Bell Canada where he served for 37 years. Although he enjoyed the dual employment, Conner laughs and admits that “some days were kind of long.”

Upon retirement from the phone company, and in collaboration with his son Brian, Conner increased his herd. Currently, the farm counts approximately 150 head and Conner farms not only his own land but also rents neighbouring fields for pasture and hay.

His involvement with the QFA dates back to the 1970s when he became a member of his local Ayer’s Cliff branch and he officially became a board member in 2002 although he had served as an alternate for many previous meetings.

“To me, the Advocate is the top priority,” he says of the current role of the QFA for Quebec’s English farmers.” Although he is able to read French, he often emphasizes the value of providing information in English. “When things are really important, like new laws or environmental laws, I like to read it in my own language,” he says. “And when the Advocate comes out and prints the news in English, I think that’s quite important.”

In addition to being a QFA board member, Conner is also a director for the UPA’s Ayer’s Cliff English mini-sector, the president of his local cemetery association, and a church board member.