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Luce Mathieu
Luce Mathieu, Farm Operator and Producer
Company: Ferme Luce Mathieu, Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot, Quebec
Contact Info: Tel: 450-791-2947
Background: Despite being the sixth of 11 children of a farmer from La Présentation, near Saint-Hyacinthe, Luce Mathieu never imagined she would one day raise veal calves and cultivate corn and soybeans herself. Working first in a chocolate processing plant, she caught the farming bug from her brother, who owned a 41-hectare farm in Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot (80 kilometres outside Montreal). "I worked one year with Réal, who was raising veal calves, and I liked it. So when he sold his farm in 1989, I grabbed the opportunity. And I never regretted my decision."
Biggest Challenge: Many men, not to mention women, would think twice about choosing a life filled with hard work and long days - in this profession, working hours are from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., 365 days a year. What's more, Luce was going into business alone, without a diploma or any training. "When it comes to calves, schooling doesn't bring you any more success," says the energetic 42-year-old. "I learned from working with my brother. The rest came with experience."
Path to Growth: Luce quickly made people forget she is a self-taught woman in a predominantly male field. "I got a loan from the office of Crédit Agricole (la Financière Agricole du Québec) and credit lines from RBC." First, Luce took over her brother's herd, 196 Holstein calves (the tracts of corn were leased to another producer). Then, she raised the number of calves to 238, erected a new stable in 1996, modernized the old cow barn in 2000, and built a manure pit according to new environmental standards in 2003.
How RBC Royal Bank Helps: These efforts were supported by the RBC branch in Saint-Hyacinthe, which provided financing for various loans. "Josée Brassard, my account manager for the past five or six years, has become more confident in what I can do," says Luce. Without any employees, Luce produces about 640 calves per year, which she sends to a nearby slaughterhouse in Saint-Germain-de-Grantham. Three years ago, she resumed cultivating her 31 hectares of land - two-thirds for corn (225 tonnes in 2003) and one-third for soybeans (34 tonnes in 2003). "I buy the seed and fertilizer, and a local producer handles crop mechanization," explains Luce.
Expansion Plans: Despite the drop in calf prices following the mad cow crisis and the closing of the American border (the U.S. was the final destination for her entire meat output), and despite government constraints such as the obligation to map out an agro-environmental fertilization plan and the ban on growth hormones in cattle under 30 months of age, Luce is forging ahead. "I'll soon have 400 calves," she says. Construction work on a new stable, her third, and expansion of the existing milkhouse should be completed soon. This means the buyer acting on Luce's behalf at specialized auctions will soon be purchasing 162 additional calves.
Luce's project is very ambitious to say the least. Her three stables will be connected to a single computerized milk feeding system. "According to the Swiss manufacturer, no other independent and contractual breeder in the province is equipped with this sort of system," says Luce gleefully. What a change this will make: not only will Luce no longer have to lift 25-kilo bags of powdered milk, but the modernized equipment will handle one-tonne bags on its own. RBC, which has deemed the investment viable, has authorized new financing. As for Luce, her goal is to produce 1,100 calves annually.
A Word of Advice: "The most important thing is to love what you do and be determined. The rest is management. People tell me this isn't women's work. My advice to women is to believe in themselves."
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