Emma Ouellette uses her Western education in agriculture
When Emma Ouellette lived in residence during her first year at Western, her friends used to say she had a “secret life.”
A social science student in the DAN department of management and organizational studies by day, Ouellette donned her jeans and boots back on the family farm nearly every weekend.
But it’s far from a secret. Agriculture is a passion for Ouellette, who’s eager to take over her family’s operation one day. She’s just as enthusiastic about educating the public – like the city kids with whom she lived in residence, including those who asked if chocolate milk really comes from brown cows – as she is about her long-term plans for the St. Clair Township farm where she was born and raised.
“I grew up here. My dad has owned our home farm for forty years; I’ve been helping here since I could walk,” Ouellette said.
“I really enjoy the balance of my education and my work on the farm. It makes me feel really excited and passionate about what I do when I learn something at school that I can come home and teach my mom and dad to apply here.”
Her family grows wheat and soybeans, but in addition to cash crops, the Ouellette homestead boasts apples, pears and elderberries. They cut firewood to sell in the winter, raise baby chicks in the spring and harvest honey from their beehives in the summer.
Ouellette, now a fourth-year student who’s also pursuing a history major, chose Western because she wanted to be well equipped to take over the family farm, apply the business skills she was learning back at home. The bachelor of management and organizational studies (BMOS) was the perfect fit.
“It’s a unique program. Since I want to open my own business, the accounting, HR and marketing skills BMOS has taught me are so valuable. If you don’t market yourself well, you’re basically out of the game before you even step foot in it,” Ouellette said.
‘Bigger and better than my parents ever imagined’
The foundational business knowledge and expertise she’s gaining is important, because Ouellette has big dreams for the family farm.
She’s interested in expanding into specialty and niche crops like buckwheat and broomcorn to tap into a growing gluten-free market and provide safe, healthy products for people who struggle to find them. She’s even mulled the idea of opening a brewery or flour mill on the property. It’s all about adapting to changing markets and keeping an eye on trends, Ouellette said.
“I’ve always been creative. I like looking for out-of-the-box ideas and trying to innovate,” she said. “I plan to turn this operation into something bigger and better than my parents ever imagined.”
She’s using entrepreneurship to do it.
Ouellette is part of the Founders Program through the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, Powered by Ivey, where she’s found ideas, support and community in addition to the $20,000 tuition bursary.
She was connected with Joe Dales of RHA Ventures, who has decades of experience in the agriculture industry, including co-founding Farms.com Ltd.
“Having a mentor through the Founders Program, someone who has such a long history in agriculture has been really inspirational. Hearing their tips and tricks to success have helped guide me in the right direction,” Ouellette said.
A passion for agriculture education
Ouellette hopes to pass on her agricultural knowledge to others just as her mentor has done. She’s heavily involved with the Moore Agricultural Society, sitting on six committees with roles including fundraising and promotional work. Ouellette was the youngest female director ever elected to the organization.
She is a longtime community volunteer, working as a 4H leader and running the Brigden Gardening Club to introduce kids to agriculture. Ouellette wants to cultivate that knowledge in her own township and in cities, too.
“It’s all about education. Talking to people in residence about agriculture proved that to me. I don’t think farmers will ever get the appreciation or support they need until people understand what they do,” Ouellette said.
“People may see the highlights in movies, but I don’t think they see the hard work and grit that goes into it. They don’t understand how farming is so integrated and essential for our daily lives, from medicine to energy production.” – Emma Ouellette, fourth-year BMOS student
It’s not always an easy gig.
Ouellette said she works even harder to prove herself as a young woman in a male-dominated industry.
“I’ve learned there are going to be tough days, but the hard work does pay off in the end. When you harvest your crop, it’s a moment of relief and it just feels unbelievable.”
Lessons from the farm apply in all areas of life, Ouellette has found.
“I was taught to work hard and do your best, knowing some things are out of your control – so it won’t always go perfectly. I take those lessons to apply at school, too. If I get a bad grade on a test and start to beat myself up, I have to remember that there’s always another chance.”
Still, she knows agriculture is her future. It’s the only one that feels right.
“Farming is a job you have to love. You have to want to wake up at 4 a.m., go to bed when the sun sets and do it all again the next day. You battle tough weather, and sometimes your crops just don’t yield. You’ve got to learn to get over the losses and celebrate the wins,” Ouellette said.
Despite the challenges, she loves what she does.
“I’m proud of where I come from. Being on the farm is where I belong.”
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