Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) is proud to announce Deanna Doctor of Redview Jerseys of Kensington, PEI, as the 2026 Atlantic Regional honouree.
A dedicated dairy producer, Deanna has spent the past decade helping grow her family’s operation from an established dairy farm into an innovative, forward-thinking business. Together with her father, she has expanded the farm’s land base and quota, transitioned the herd to purebred registered Jerseys and embraced leading-edge technologies, including becoming one of the first farms in North America to adopt eShepherd virtual fencing for actively milking cows.
As the driving force behind the farm’s daily operations, Deanna manages herd health, milking and grazing while raising four children and contributing to the advancement of Canada’s dairy industry. She also serves on the boards of Jersey Canada and the Kensington Co-op.
The regional event was held July 19-20 in Nova Scotia, hosted by Luckett Vineyards and was very well attended by regional alumni, local residents and sponsors, which featured farm tours of Spurr Brothers Farms (2025 Alumni), and a tour of the Scotian Gold Apple storage and packing facility. Spurr Brothers grow apples for Scotian Gold, so it was a full-circle highlight of the apple production that is such a large part of the Annapolis Valley.
In attendance was Hon. John Lohr, Minister of Finance NS, and MLA for Kings North, who brought greetings on behalf of the Nova Scotia Government. Hon. Bloyce Thompson, Minister of Agriculture for PEI, and MLA for District 8 Stanhope – Marshfield sent a video of congratulations to our winner Deanna Doctor, with special regards from the Government of PEI. Also noting that 2026 is the year of the Woman Farmer, and what a privilege it was to have her represent the Atlantic region.
Ryan Mercer, Vice President of COYF, who was also in attendance, had this to say:
“This year’s Atlantic regional event brought together a very large number of alumni and industry leaders representing potato, horticulture and dairy, to name a few! Value-added direct marketing agriculture was highlighted at Scotia Gold, cider production at Spurr Bros Farms and world-class wine at Luckett Vineyards! Deanna has an amazing story and extreme passion for the dairy industry! She will represent the Atlantic region very well at the COYF National Event in Vancouver this November!”
The national winner of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers 2026 will be selected during the national competition in Vancouver, BC, held from November 25–29, 2026.
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (COYF) is an annual program dedicated to recognizing farmers under the age of 40 who exemplify professional excellence in the agricultural industry. Now celebrating over 46 years of honouring agricultural success, the program is proudly sponsored nationally by Agriculture Canada, John Deere, Bayer, Sollio Agriculture and CN, with additional support from media sponsors Glacier FarmMedia and Nucleus Consulting, video sponsor Bamboo Shoots, and national supporter BDO.
Source : Oyfcanada