HEMMINGFORD – You have to walk a long way to see a gorgeous brick home from the Loyalist era, as well as Ferme Lériger, which has managed year after year since 2016 to remain in the top 5 across Canada for the performance of its organic stoves.
Lucien Bouchard
Earth wanted to visit the owners of this farm, Lucien Bouchard and his son Daniel, to learn their secrets that allowed him to celebrate the 1st of Januaryah Rank in country 2020 and 2018, then 2nde Ranked 2021 and 2019 by Herd Performance Index (FPI). “You might be disappointed because we’re not doing anything really special,” Lucien said humbly, shaking the journalist’s hand. And we have nothing extraordinary; We don’t have a big herd or new buildings,” adds the breeder from Hemmingford in Montérégie.
At the dairy, however, a chart reveals part of the Bouchards’ success: various awards are pinned there, such as 2,200 lbs of milk in 11 lactations for another. “These are the highest-yielding cows,” confirms the farmer with a smile.
The health of the animals and their ability to reproduce are at the heart of Bouchard’s genetic choices. “When I took over the farm, my uncle focused his selection on production, but for 15 years we have neglected milk production to try to select cows that are in good health, have fewer mastitis problems and have a longer lifespan. And good fertility, so cows that adhere well and calve every year. We don’t like boarders,” says the breeder.
Details like that make all the difference, says Richard Cantin, national director of business development at Lactanet Canada, the organization behind the IPT. “To finish in the top 5 [les Bouchard] Do it, it can be done, but maintaining it over the years is another matter! It is an achievement that is not easy to achieve. The ones that get there are the very, very successful farms,” he says, pointing out that this type of success is not generally achieved through mastery of a practice, but through all the small details that lead to greater efficiencies .
All the attention is on the cows
Access to pasture for dairy cattle is a priority for the Bouchards. The lactating cows have a six-acre paddock that includes a removable fence that is moved daily to provide fresh grass every day. “On pasture, milk production decreases and it is more difficult to balance rations because the pasture varies greatly over the season. But it’s good for cow exercise, and we get it back in the winter. You seem to be in good shape. An old inseminator said to me: “I like to come to you, the cows are three“, says Lucien Bouchard and refers to the good posture of his animals.
However, heifers under the age of six months are kept indoors. At least until August, a strategy aimed at protecting them from the heat and flies. Dairy cows are tied up in winter. They have a good layer of straw to feel comfortable in and are weaned every day, time for a training session in the cold pen where the heifers are in a loose pen with the dry cows.
Corn silage was put back at the Bouchards. “We had to add too many brown crabs and it was too expensive,” says Lucien. He prefers roughage feeding with alfalfa silage between 19 and 22% protein, supplemented with grain maize. Her nutritionist, Ariane France, points out that both father and son are producers who are passionate about their business. “They pay a lot of attention to the individual cows and the quality of the feed that comes from their fields. The forage is of excellent quality, allowing them to keep feed costs low enough for their productive herd. Concentrates are treated individually for each cow, based on performance, lactation stage and reproductive status,” she explains.
Sending animals to pasture is one of the keys to keeping them healthy, says the breeder. Photo: Martin Menard/TCN
Get good advice
The Bouchards do not hesitate to listen to the recommendations of the professionals around them while keeping their reality in mind. “We are well surrounded. And I like to chat with my agricultural economist; we look at the real numbers, mine, not those of the neighbor. If something doesn’t pay off, we drop it because every company is different. Something can be profitable with the neighbor’s herd, but not with yours,” says Lucien Bouchard. Besides the consultants, one of the biggest sources of inspiration remains the achievements of other producers. The owners of Ferme Lériger are happy to visit colleagues who have found good solutions.
The farm is now in the fourth generation in the hands of Daniel. He wants to make the right decisions for the future. These decisions will be influenced by the organic standard, which will ban tethered cows in a few years. So the next generation will have to decide whether to convert the yard into a playpen or completely tear it down to make room for a new building. Because the goal remains the same: an efficient and profitable operation. A withdrawal from milk production due to a forced change of management or excessive construction costs is also being examined.
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“He is one of my most successful clients” Management consultant Sylvain Dufour, who has followed Ferme Lériger since 1996, is blunt about the fact that the Bouchards are among his elite clients. “He’s one of my most successful clients. What makes the big difference with Lucien is the distance he needs to make a decision. He does not hesitate to advise, he takes the time to sit down and calculate. He is balanced in his decisions. He’s also meticulous. Some producers are less worried, but Lucien is picky about his management, milking, nutrition, etc.,” describes Mr. Dufour. He adds in the same breath: “It’s also a head. He went to university, he always went to conferences to keep up to date, and being bilingual, he reads information from elsewhere. » |
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