Farms

Raynald Bouchard and Mireille Grenon are the owners of the Bois-Joli farm in the Saint-Coeur-De-Marie area. They took over the farm from Raynald’s parents and run it with the help of their three children. The farm also sells hay and wood.

Several biodiversity projects are underway at the farm, such as planting trees and shrubs in collaboration with the CEGEP, installing a bat nesting box and creating vegetable gardens.

Jean-Denis Tremblay is the owner of the Génération V farm. A proud representative of the sixth generation of Tremblays to operate the farm, he took over from his father Gilles, who still helps out from time to time.

The organic farm has been owned for 30 years by Daniel Fournier and Daniel Potvin, who work there with their son Cédric. It now has 50 Holstein cows.

The owners Louis Martel is the owner of the farm. He took over from his father France. His three sons, Nicolas, David and Alex, are very involved in the farm and will eventually take the reins.

The Ferme Patrimoniale de Saint-Augustin has been owned by Serge Leboeuf since 1992. He took over from his father and grandfather, who began clearing the land together in 1949. His son Judes would like to take over one day.

The farm is owned by Sylvain Paré, his wife Valérie Néron and their son Jonathan Paré. Jonathan will eventually take over from Sylvain and Valérie.

The farm is owned by Evens Gagnon, who took over from his parents. At the R.C.E. Gagnon farm, a robotic milking system has been in use since 2012, when a fire caused major damage to the farm and the herd. It was the first farm with milking robots in Hébertville. Robotization allows the farm to be operated with little labour. Evens, his father René and a long-time employee are in charge of running the farm. The Gagnon family is involved in their community and has often opened its doors to other farmers, to local people and to children from the elementary school.

Raphaël Garon, an agronomist by training, returned to the region after acquiring 50% of the shares of the multigenerational agricultural enterprise Varé farm. Looking for a successor, the family, who founded and had run the company for 140 years, offered Raphaël the chance to take over part of the business. He became a shareholder in November 2019. The other half belongs to Gérald Harvey, the son of the former owners.

Richard Lapointe and his nephew Luc Potvin are the shareholders of the farm. This is a great opportunity for Luc to take over, as he has been working on the farm with his uncle since he was very young. He can already count on the help of his children, who love to spend time in the barn.

The farm is owned by Janot Dufour, Louis Racine and their sons Kevin and Anthony. Kevin, who studied agricultural technology, and Anthony, an agronomist, will take over from their parents in the future. They have been active on the farm since they were very young.

Jacques and Sylvie own the farm with their three children, Yves, Dave and Karl. Modernizing the farm has allowed for a more flexible work schedule and has helped improve working conditions for the family and employees. The animals at the Javie farm are free-range. The farm covers some 600 acres and also raises more than 4,800 pigs.

The Turcotte family has been operating this farm since 1957, and in 1990, Christian Turcotte took over. Currently, Christian and his godson Mathieu Gagné, both of whom are also fathers, are the two owners of the Matur Inc. farm. The Turcotte and Gagné families have five young children who, one day, will take the reins of the family farm.

François Dessureault, Maxime Dessureault and their nephew Gabriel Guay are the owners of the farm. Gabriel and François take care of the farm, and Gabriel will take over from his uncles in a few years.

R.C.A. Thivierge farm is a family-run dairy farm. Claude Thivierge took over from his parents, Aline Chouinard and Rosaire Thivierge. Currently, Claude Thivierge and his nephew Maxime Girard are the two owners.

The owners of this organic farm, Robert Laprise, Sandra Martel and their son Samuel Laprise, are committed to developing sustainable practices. They built a new barn in 2021.

Georges, who is Jérôme's father, started running the farm in 1976 with 24 cows. Jérôme, the third generation, took over the business a few years ago and is now the sole owner. His wife, Maryline, works as a nurse. They have two sons and a daughter. They hope one day to transfer the farm to one of their children.

The family farm was founded by Audrey's grandparents and passed on to her parents in 1987. Audrey became a co-owner with her father in 2008 before taking on full ownership in 2012. Her partner officially became a co-owner in 2019. They have four children who help out on a daily basis, and who may become the next generation of owners.

Frédéric Savard is the current owner and hopes to leave his assets to his children, as his grandfather and father did before him. He would like to pass on his interest in farming to his sons so that the tradition can continue.

The Flober Inc. farm is a family-owned dairy farm. The owners are Nick Bernard and Patricia Labonté. Their son Alec, who is already very active on the farm, will be next in line to take over. Nick is also very involved in his community. He is a director at the Caisse Desjardins des Cinq-Cantons and president of the CUMA Jeannoise, an agricultural equipment cooperative.

The farm was bought in 1954 by Philippe Taillon, father of Christian and Daniel. Christian, Daniel, François and Philippe Taillon became the four shareholders in 1981. It is currently owned by Christian Taillon, Daniel Taillon, Francis Taillon and Olivier Milot. Francis and Olivier are the next generation and became shareholders in 2017 and 2015, respectively.

The farm is owned by Claude Gilbert and Chantale Laforest with their children, Jason L. Gilbert and Nady Gilbert. It is a family business passed down through the generations. Founded in 1944 by Joseph Gilbert, it was bequeathed in 1961 to his son Magella Gilbert, father of Claude Gilbert. Magella acquired several pieces of land before he died in 1989.

The Damajo farm is a family business passed down from generation to generation. Marie-Josée took over her father's farm with her husband, Luc Bernier, in 2000 and officially became co-owner. David, Marie-Josée's brother, has been working on the farm with them since 2005 and officially became co-owner in 2020.

The owners are Daniel, Michel and Luc Ouellet. They took over from their father Aurélien who had bought the farm from his uncle, Benoît Ouellet, in 1959.

The farm is currently owned by Daniel Baril, Renée Théberge and their son Frédérick Baril. The farm was founded by Daniel's parents in 1964, and Daniel and his brother Mario became co-owners in 1991 with their parents. In 2000, the parents retired, and Mario left the operation while remaining a shareholder. Renée Théberge became co-owner in 2007. Frédérick joined his parents and became co-owner in 2018. 

This organic farm with more than 120 free-range cows is owned by Daniel Pelletier and Annie Villeneuve, who feel fortunate to work there with their sons Jimmy, Dominique and Benoit. The three sons are in the process of becoming co-owners.

Jean-François is the sole owner. He and his wife Andréanne have four children whom they would like to see working on the family farm.

Maxime Turcotte and Marie-Ève Côté, both come from a dairy farming background. They started the dairy farm in 2007 at the facilities owned by one of Maxime's uncles.

Catherine and Marc André are the shareholders of the RJM Côté farm. Pierre-Olivier has also recently acquired shares which will ensure the continuity of the company.

The four owners, Camil, Léon, Olivier and Pascale, are passionate about farming, having all studied in agriculture. All the owners have great respect for the well-being of their animals and the health of their soil. In their practices, they are mindful of future generations while focusing on agricultural performance and economic profitability.

The current owners are Jean-Marie Baril and his wife Marie-Ève Allard. The farm has been organic since 2016. Its cows are free-range and have constant access to the outdoors, both in winter and summer. There is also a milking parlour, and the cattle are fed only grass, no grain. The owners aim for self-sufficiency in both their working methods and in their everyday life. They truly care about the environment.

Nicolas Côté bought the farm from his father in 1981. In 1987, he joined forces with his wife Lynda Hudon and they founded the Papinas farm. Over the years, they have always had one project or another underway to expand and modernize the company. In 2006, after studying farm management and operations at the Cégep d'Alma, daughter Marilyn Côté joined her parents. Marylin is the sixth generation of shareholders of the Papinas farm, which she operates with her parents.

Turcotte et Fils Inc. is a family-run dairy farm. Pierre and his son Jean-Pierre are the two owners of the farm. Pierre took over this farm from one of his uncles. He raised his family there with his wife Johanne Bouchard. Two of their children, Jean-Pierre and Guillaume, have now taken over the farm and share the responsibilities. All their partners are active in the agricultural sector and help out on the farm as well. The six Turcotte grandchildren are the future succession.

The Clan Gagnon farm has used loose housing for a long time, and was, in fact, among the first in Lac-Saint-Jean to do so. The milking parlour was rebuilt 10 years ago. To complete the site, a new complex has been added to provide even more comfort for the animals. Now, all the animals are kept under the same roof.

In August 1986, Jean Lavoie was the fourth generation to settle on the farm. Rachel, Jean's wife, joined the company in 1992 as a shareholder. They have six children and hope for a successor to take over in the next few years.

The first owner of the farm was François-Nil Bouchard. His sons Gérard and Rodrigue then became owners of the farm in the 1970s, followed by Pierre Bouchard (their brother), Lyse Rosa (Rodrigue's wife) and Suzie Brassard (Gérard's wife), who obtained shares in 1986. From the beginning, they were reluctant to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and they were already interested in organic farming in the 1970s. Carl Bouchard, Gérard's son, became the owner of the farm in 2008, joined by his sister Annie Bouchard in 2016 and her partner Valérie Lefebvre. The current owners are Carl, Annie and Valerie.

Serge and his daughter Pamela are the owners. Pamela mainly takes care of the herd with the help of her father. The succession is guaranteed! Pamela, who loves animals, decided at a very young age to become a shareholder of the farm and to take on managing the herd. She will undoubtedly pass on her love of the profession to her two children.

Founded by Mario's father in 1955, the farm began with just 10 cows. In 1990, Mario arrived on the farm, which now has 35 cows and 220 acres of land. Mario Tremblay acts as a mentor for younger generations and takes care of the accounting and the fields. Sandrine is responsible for managing the herd. Marc-Olivier also takes care of the herd, as well as feeding and field management. Annabelle participates in the farm and field operations.

Benoît and Diane have passed on their passion for farming to their sons Gino and Pascal, who have been working with them in the family business for several years. The mission they all share is quite simple: to allow future generations to continue in agriculture. In the past, Benoît was a member of Nutrinor’s board of directors. Now Pascal is continuing this commitment as a director.

Rémy Boulianne, his wife Doris and their two sons Maxime and Sylvain operate the family farm, which is now in its fifth generation.

Réjean, Lucette and Jimmy Harvey are the three shareholders of the farm. Jimmy is a father and will undoubtedly pass on his love of the profession to his son.

Owned by Réjean and Yves Larouche, Laro farm has two sectors of activity: dairy cattle breeding and grain farming.

Founded in 1865 by Philéas Bouchard, the organic farm is owned by Jean-Daniel Bouchard, who succeeded his father Clément in 2018. Concerned about reducing the environmental impact of the business, he prioritizes soil health and animal welfare while aiming for a good quality of life.

The farm is owned by Omer Bouchard, Jacynthe Fortin and their son Maxime. Maxime has always worked on the family farm, and he can't see himself anywhere else. His animals and his land are his true passions. Representing the fourth generation of Bouchards at the helm of the company, the young farmer is a graduate of the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire de Saint-Hyacinthe.

Léonard Côté and his two sons Steeve and Sébastien are co-owners. Léonard bought his own farm in 1969 at the age of 22, after spending nine years in logging camps, saving every penny. He milks about 20 cows. Steeve and Sébastien were keen to work with high-performance, proven and durable technology. Mathieu, one of Léonard and Lise's grandsons, recently joined the team.