Ernest Beaudry

Northeastern Ontario


Originally from Verner, in Northern Ontario, Beaudry started farming in the 1940’s. A purebred Ayrshire breeder, he improved his herd, and from 1944 to 1960, the federal government used his farm as a demonstration farm to conduct tests and experiments in the region. They analyzed grains, forage crops and the Ayrshire herd in order to develop new processes suited to Northern Ontario’s climate. Beaudry participated to all the campaigns to improve and support the financial and technical development of agriculture.

Beaudry became the president of the new Soils and Crops Improvement Association and was the founding president of the newly formed Association des producteurs laitiers of Nipissing-Sudbury from 1941 to 1963. From 1943 to1949, he provided training courses on the co-operative movement in the Verner area. In 1949, he toured the province to promote the regional circles of the UCFO. He sat on the Board of Directors of the UCFO from 1945 to1949.

A true co-operator, Beaudry was one of the founders and the president of the Caisse populaire de Verner. In 1948, he set up the Coopérative régionale de Nipissing-Sudbury. He played a prominent role in the establishment of the first milk transportation and buying system, in 1951. His vision was that family farms could be profitable by using the services of technicians, increasing crop yields and keeping records up to date. This great visionary passed away in 1963, having served in several farm organizations, co-operatives and community associations in his region.

Location