Elwood Quinn was a man with a passion for agriculture.
Elwood Quinn was a teacher, an advocate, an influencer, a horticulture and rare livestock encyclopedia, a dynamo, a builder, a friend and so much more.
Elwood’s life centred on his family and his passions. His passions included a diverse range of agriculture. He was equally comfortable discussing breeding roses and varieties of apples as he was discussing the unique genetics of a pregnancy from a White Park embryo, or management advice to get all live-born piglets raised.
He is well known on the West Island of Montreal as the patriarch of Quinn Farm, but I knew Elwood as a person who was relentless about saving endangered livestock breeds in Canada. Nothing was out of the question for Elwood. It was typical for him to have a canister containing frozen bovine semen or the live version in his truck trailer as he traveled to the Guelph Organic Conference, for one. He made all the meetings and the connections with rare livestock enthusiasts and urbanites alike. Also in tow, his carding machine, unlimited books and display materials---all to grab attention and create awareness of the need for livestock breed conservation.
Elwood left this world a better place, he was a visionary and worked hard to make sure his legacy continues. Donations in Elwood Quinn’s memory can be made at Heritage Livestock Canada or Au coeur des familles agricoles.
The Quinn family are planning a memorial for Elwood at the farm in early May.
For more news, information, resources and connections that you can use on your farm, market garden, homestead or property, subscribe here and get Small Farm Canada delivered straight to your door!