Interview: Fourth-Season Farming

Jean-Martin Fortier and Catherine Sylvestre, authors of The Winter Market Gardener, share principles and motivation for growing through the colder months

Acres U.S.A. Can you describe the operations you both work at? 

Jean-Martin Fortier. Sure. Catherine took my place as the manager for the gardens at FQT Farm [Le Ferme Qautre Temps]. We had planned to do that. I was there for two years with her, and last year she was doing it solo. This year I started this new project. I go to FQT farm about once a week or once every other week, but Catherine is driving the ship now. 

Acres U.S.A. I’m sure a lot of our readers are familiar with you and your work, J.M., but can you both give us a quick overview of your histories in farming?

Catherine Sylvestre. I am not from an agricultural background at all. I went to university and did a degree in political science. And then when I got my degree, I wanted to work in something more concrete, so I went to work on a farm, and the farmer there had worked with Jean-Martin. So, I learned his model, and then I really fell in love with it, and I wanted to continue working in farming. 

I applied at FQT Farm, and I did the two-year internship there, learning how to farm. And then I just wanted to continue learning, so I went back to school at McGill to become an agronomist. Then I went back to FQT Farm, and by that time Jean-Martin was ready to move on to other projects. So I took his place and started managing the farm. 

Acres U.S.A. That’s great. Getting an academic degree in agronomy — how much of what you learned in school is what you actually observe happening on an ecological farm like FQT? Our impression here in the states, generally, is that you go to a land-grant university and you learn the NPK model of farming, although I’m sure some of those programs are starting to change now. But how much did you have to unlearn or relearn?

Sylvestre. That’s a good question. I think the programs are starting to change, but it’s very slow. Some teachers are more open to new ideas, but some are very traditional still. The degree is more like conventional farming, but you learn. Where I did my degree, at McGill, it’s very science based. You really get a good base in science, so you have a better understanding of nature’s mechanism. And when you have that, you can apply it to different forms of farming. 

I think for that reason it was worth doing it, but there’s still a lot of room for these programs to evolve. They’re definitely not at the same point we are at FQT Farm. 

Acres U.S.A. Are you required to take ecology classes?

Sylvestre. No, but I did my specialty in ecological agriculture, so I did have lots of these classes. But you’re not obliged to do them. You can do a traditional path and not have those classes at all. 

Acres U.S.A. And J.M., for those who don’t know your work?