Lagacé Farm

It all began in 1937, when Jean-Paul Lagacé, the first of five generations of Ayrshire breeders, acquired a 90-acre lot from his father to settle his purebred herd of about 10 animals. A passionate breeder, he wasn’t afraid to walk close to 10 km with his animals in order to take part in the St-Hyacinthe Agricultural Show. At the beginning of the ’60s, he transferred the management of the family farm to his son, Jean-Guy. His first actions  within the business were to double their amount of land and expand cow housing, which could only welcome up to 30 milking cows, in addition to the replacement heifers. In 1994, it was Richard’s turn to continue his grand-father’s life work. Always on the look out to make the business more cost-effective and profitable, he didn’t hesitate to bring changes and undertake major renovations over the last 20 years. He now operates the farm along with his son Mathieu, and they currently have a mixed herd of 75 Ayrshire and Holstein dairy cows, as well as 65 heifers and calves. Genetics have always been a priority for this herd bearing the prefix Lagacé, as demonstrated by the purchase of Selwood Royal Welcome, who had a significant impact within the herd and the breed in the mid-60s. To continue along the same lines, several acquisitions were made over the years to continuously improve the quality, conformation, and production of their cows, including Stonehouse Royal Mandy in 1982,  the grand-mother of the sire Lagacé Marathon. Another one was Lachute Road BBC Blanche in 1998, who provided the 2001 World Dairy Expo Junior Champion, Lagacé Garth Barb. And, finally, let’s not forget the great catch of the ’70s who contributed to the establishment of the famous Mode family at the Lagacé farm, namely Maska Mode. She had a tremendously positive impact in the herd, as demonstrated by the numerous consecutive generations of Excellent cows, including Lagacé Heligo Mode 27 EX, Lagacé Trident Modaline EX-6E, Lagacé Poker Modaly EX-3E 92, Lagacé BB Modestar EX-4E 93, and the former notable CIAQ bull, Lagacé Modem. The farm currently has a robotic milking herd composed of 6 EX, 36 VG, and 28 GP (2 breeds combined) producing a daily quota of 75 kg/day with a 4.3% fat content and a  3.5% protein content. The main objective of their recent transition toward free stalls was  to enable cows to perform to their full potential with an increased longevity as well as to enhance their well-being. In conclusion, their first exhibit at the 2016 World Dairy Expo, which allowed them to win the Junior Breeder Banner, and now receiving the Ayrshire Breeders’ Association of Canada’s Master Breeder Award for the fourth time are both a great source of pride for these passionate breeders and undoubtedly make them want to continue moving forward. Ayrshire Canada is pleased to present this Master Breeder Award to Ferme Lagacé et Fils.  Our sincere congratulations!