Entreprendre la relève agricole (in French only)

Entreprendre la relève agricole (in French only) (4 min 35 s)

Added on October 28, 2015

Description

This video features the Desjardins business members who are the 2015 Desjardins Entrepreneur Award regional winners in the Fonds coopératif d'aide à la relève agricole (cooperative fund for future farmers) category. These young entrepreneurs talk about taking over their businesses and the support they’ve received from Desjardins to help them succeed.

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Entreprendre la relève agricole (in French only) (4 min 35 s)

Added on October 28, 2015 | Business

Note: The information between brackets describes the visual and audio content of the video that is not dialogue or narration.

[On-screen text: Desjardins Business]

[INVESTING TODAY IN THE FARMERS OF TOMORROW]

[On-screen text: Alain Gagnon, Ag., MBA, Vice-President, Agricultural and Agri-food Markets, Desjardins Business]

[Close-up of Alain Gagnon. In the background, a field. Then, successive scenes featuring cows in a modern stable, eggs on a conveyor belt and cattle in a field.]

Alain Gagnon: Desjardins is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada. Desjardins currently supports more than 14,000 agricultural and agri-food businesses in Quebec—one out of every two in the province.

[On-screen text: Mickaël Roy, Owner, Ferme Micar (9226-8804 Quebec Inc.)]

[Close-up of Mickaël Roy]

Mickaël Roy: The production we do here at Ferme Micar is called backgrounding. What that means is we birth calves.

[Successive scenes featuring Mickaël Roy walking in a field and cows]

Mickaël Roy: We raise them until they're ready to be weaned, and at 650 pounds, they're ready to be moved to a feed lot.

[Musical transition] [On-screen text: Isabelle Bastien-Barette, Farmer, Nutritionist and Manager, Bœuf Lanaudière (2014) Inc.]

[Close-up of Isabelle Bastien-Barette. In the background, a cattle lot.]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: In 2013 we already had 2 businesses: Ferme Domaine du Parc Inc., which was field crops in Ste-Élizabeth, and we also had Ferme JRDL (2014) Inc., which was a cattle feedlot.

[Successive scenes featuring Isabelle Bastien-Barette and a cattle lot]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: Then we had an opportunity to rent another cattle lot, it was actually a friend of my husband's parents who came to us with the idea.

[Close-up of Isabelle Bastien-Barette]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: So we sat down with the 4 managers and decided to bring everything together. That's when Bœuf Lanaudière (2014) Inc. was born.

[Musical transition]

[Scene featuring Christian Boucher cleaning the floor of his stable]

[On-screen text: Christian Boucher, Partner, Ferme Rejak (9230-1670 Quebec Inc.)]

[Close-up of Christian Boucher in front of a house, then, successive scenes featuring Christian Boucher working in his stable]

[Back to close-up of Christian Boucher]

Christian Boucher: My grandfather bought the company in the early 40s. It was a family-run subsistence farm. Then my father bought it from him in the mid-80s, when it was primarily a dairy and swine farm. He scaled back raising swine over the years to focus on dairy production. I bought in 2 or 3 years ago now, and I've been a 50% owner since then.

[Close-up of Alain Gagnon]

Alain Gagnon: Desjardins wants to develop a culture of success and business continuity, just like agricultural entrepreneurs. So supporting the next generation of farmers is a big part of our focus.

[Close-up of Mickaël Roy. In the background, a field.]

Mickaël Roy: The transfer basically started when none of the 4 kids on Ferme Jean-Hugues Caron were interested in taking over the business.

[Successive scenes featuring cows in a field and a tractor, driven by Mickaël Roy, transporting a haystack]

Mickaël Roy: I was an ideal candidate. I decided to put together a business plan. I got along well with the owner, so everything went as it should.

[Scene featuring Mickaël Roy with his spouse and their young daughter. He welcomes his account manager to his home. They talk and look over documents while sitting at a table.]

[On-screen text: Manon Bélanger, Account Manager, Desjardins Business]

Mickaël Roy: I do business with Desjardins for the simple reason that they're close to us. And they're part of the community. We have a good relationship with the account manager and she understands us. So because she understands what we do, she's able to tell us what is and what isn't a good idea.

[Close-up of Mickaël Roy]

[Musical transition]

[Scene featuring Isabelle de Bastien-Barette walking along the fence of a covered cattle lot, then, a close-up]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: How I became involved in the farm . . . well, when we sat down with the 4 managers to decide whether we wanted to go ahead and combine everything, my in-laws suggested I join the new company and gave me an opportunity to be part of the business; becoming a part owner in the company and getting involved in the operations.

[Successive scenes featuring Isabelle Bastien-Barette talking to an employee who is driving a truck and in the cattle lot with her account manager]

[On-screen text: Mélanie Masse, Account Manager, Desjardins Business]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: I loved the idea and was happy they trusted me, even though I didn't have any farm training, but I think they saw a manager in me.

[Scene featuring Isabelle Bastien-Barette talking to her account manager at a table]

Isabelle Bastien-Barette: Our business relationship with Desjardins goes back a long way. They're very competitive in the sector and we have very good relationships with their personnel. We like that we're with Desjardins!

[Close-up of Isabelle Bastien-Barette]

[Close-up of Christian Boucher. In the background, his home.]

Christian Boucher: I think that to take over an agricultural business, you need good training, a lot of leadership, communication, and a strong support system from your family, your wife, your friends.

[Scene featuring Christian Boucher moving bales of hay with an employee. Back to the close-up of Christian Boucher. In the background, his home.]

Christian Boucher: And it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of work to succeed. My account manager was there to support me as I developed the business during the transfer. He was there at every step to make sure the transfer went smoothly. He was there as I developed and expanded the cow shed. And he helped us put together the financing and focus on the right priorities.

[Scene featuring Christian Boucher talking to his account manager]

Christian Boucher: One of the main reasons I do business with Desjardins is the relationship I have with my account manager. He always has time, is always willing to listen, and is always there to help us achieve our goals to grow our business.

[Close-up of Christian Boucher. In the background, his home.]

Christian Boucher: Another reason to do business with Desjardins is the way they provide a seamless transition when there's change. My account manager recently retired after years with Desjardins. The new account manager that came on board with us already has a great handle on my file and is providing continuity for the relationship.

[On-screen text: Olivier Blais, Account Manager, Desjardins Business. Jacques Lirette, Account Manager, Desjardins Business.]

[Scene featuring Christian Boucher talking to Olivier Blais and Jacques Lirette]

[Close-up of Alain Gagnon. In the background, a field.]

Alain Gagnon: Desjardins is the leader in agricultural financing in Quebec.

[Successive scenes featuring Isabelle Bastien-Barette showing her cattle lot to her account manager, Mickaël Roy shaking hands with his account manager and Christian Boucher on his farm with 2 account managers]

Alain Gagnon: Desjardins is the first-choice lender in the agri-food industry and a preferred partner for entrepreneurs throughout the sector.

[Music]

[On-screen text: Desjardins Business]

[Cooperating in building the future]

[www.desjardins.com/transfertagricole]