Hops (Humulus lupulus, SYBILLA) background. Fresh hoppy cones.

Hops: the flavour in your beer

These hop growers share their stories on everything from insects to the hop harvest

Francis Gagné and Anne-Marie Lessard wanted to make some changes. The St. Bernard, Quebec farmers raised hogs and broilers, and grew cash crops. But they wanted to exit the pork business, and start a new farm venture. After looking at everything from vineyards to fruit and vegetables, they settled on growing hops. That decision was […] Read more

Dany Chabot poses at Ferme Lehoux Holstein, south of Quebec City. Lehoux Holstein sells milk as well as replacement heifers.

They do things differently there

Reporter’s Notebook: In Quebec, membership in the agriculture lobby group UPS is mandatory for farmers

Each fall, the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation holds an annual conference in a different part of Canada. This year, the conference was in the Quebec City area. The conference hotel was a short walk from the Old City and the Plains of Abraham, so I was able to check out both. The Old City is […] Read more


(Montpak.ca)

Quebec veal processors merging

The bulk of Quebec’s veal processing capacity is forming up under one banner as Delimax-Montpak gets set to buy its rival Ecolait out of creditor protection. Delimax-Montpak Group announced Friday it has an agreement in principle to buy St-Hyacinthe-based Ecolait for total consideration of $50 million. Delimax-Montpak said Friday the deal “will allow the veal […] Read more







Quebec Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis. (MAPAQ.gouv.qc.ca)

No charges against Quebec’s ex-ag minister

Quebec’s director of prosecutions has decided not to pursue criminal charges against the province’s fired agriculture minister over allegations of “acts of a sexual character.” The province’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions (DPCP) announced in a release Monday that the office was “not reasonably convinced” culpability could be proven against the provincial member for […] Read more



Quebec flooding forces hundreds from homes

Montreal | Reuters — Flooding in towns across Quebec has forced hundreds of residents from their homes, and public security officials fear water levels will rise further with forecasters expecting rain Friday, local media reported on Wednesday. Heavy rains early this week have flooded towns in several areas across the predominately French-language province, including two […] Read more