Quebec Farms: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy
Guide updated November 2026
Quebec farms numbered 29,380 in the 2021 Census of Agriculture, 15.5 percent of Canada's total, and the province holds 89.1 percent of the country's maple taps and 36.4 percent of its dairy cows. Statistics Canada also reports that farms with $1 million or more in revenue were 9.9 percent of Quebec farms but earned 62.5 percent of operating revenue.
| Farms | 29,380 farms in 2021, up 461 from 2016 (Statistics Canada) |
|---|---|
| Top commodities | Dairy (24.5% of farm revenue), hogs (15.7%), maple, greenhouse and nursery (6.4%), blueberries, cranberries |
| Maple | 48,672,648 taps in 2021, 89.1% of Canada; 2025 crop about 224.9 million pounds |
| Operators | Average age 54.0; 53.4% are 55 or older; 8.6% are under 35 |
| Provincial ministry | Ministere de l'Agriculture, des Pecheries et de l'Alimentation (MAPAQ) |
| Farmers' union | Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) |
Agriculture in Quebec: A Short History
Quebec farming grew along the St. Lawrence, where long narrow lots ran back from the river, and it expanded into the Appalachian foothills where maple became a specialty. The province built a distinct system of producer-run marketing, cooperatives and joint selling, which still shapes how milk, maple and pork move to market.
Today the recognition culture is strong. The Ordre national du merite agricole awards gold (Commandeur), silver (Officier) and bronze (Chevalier) medals, and its 2023 national ranking was topped by a vegetable farm, Les Fermes Hotte et Van Winden, with 922 points. Family farms like Delfland, Petch Orchards and Cidrerie Michel Jodoin appear among the winners, alongside dairy, maple and potato operations.
How Farms in Quebec Make Money
Dairy and hogs
Dairy and milk farms were 24.5 percent of Quebec farm revenues and 15.1 percent of farms in 2021. The ministry reports 4,333 dairy producers in 2023, about 361,000 cows, and about C$3.1 billion in cash receipts. Hog and pig farms were 15.7 percent of revenues and 4.3 percent of farms, with Quebec holding 29.6 percent of Canadian pigs.
Maple, berries and horticulture
Quebec had 5,812 maple farms in 2021 (91.3 percent of Canada). AAFC reports Quebec maple products worth about $750 million in 2025 and exports of $828.9 million. Quebec grew 79,091 acres of blueberries (40.9 percent of Canada) and 11,477 acres of cranberries (58.4 percent), and greenhouse and nursery farms earned 6.4 percent of revenue.
Value-added, agritourism and direct sales
Orchards, cider houses and sugar shacks add revenue by processing and selling direct, as profiled operations such as Petch Orchards and Cidrerie Michel Jodoin show. Bottled cider, ice cider, packaged syrup and pick-your-own visits all capture more of the retail price than commodity sales.
Agriculture Strategy for Quebec Farms
Soils, water and climate
Monteregie's black soils support intensive vegetables, as the Van Winden family found when it bought a black-soil farm in Sherrington in 1952. Short seasons favour greenhouse production, as with Cultures Gen V, which heats with biomass and says it uses 85 percent less water than outdoor crops. Drainage, cold storage and variety choice are the practical levers for field growers.
Production and risk
Supply-managed sectors (dairy) trade production freedom for stable prices, while maple has a producer-run marketing board and a strategic reserve of just over 40 million pounds, per The Maple News. Diversifying across sectors, using provincial and federal risk-management programs, and keeping herd and orchard quality high all reduce exposure.
Technology and inputs
Large vegetable growers take part in research projects, food safety systems and traceability, and maple packers invest in quality control. Biomass heating, hydroponics and organic conversion are examples of technology choices used by the profiled farms.
Farm Business Strategy in Quebec
Margins and markets
Quebec's farms with $2 million or more in revenue earned 43.6 percent of operating revenue, so scale matters, but collective marketing lets mid-sized farms compete. Delfland sells through a collective arrangement with Vegpro and Groupe Vegco.
Land, credit and succession
FCC says about 40 percent of Quebec producers are over 55 and likely to transfer soon, 600 to 800 farms transfer a year versus about 1,100 needed to hold the count steady, and 29 percent have a succession plan. FCC's Enhanced Transition Loan lets a seller be paid over two to 10 years. The UPA and the Federation de la releve agricole (FRAQ) advocate for young farmers.
Marketing and diversification
Brand and origin matter in Quebec. Processing, export and agritourism are the main ways profiled farms moved up the value chain, from cider houses to organic pork and greenhouse brands.
Farm Insight: Quebec Trends to Watch
Trends to watch: a record maple tap capacity of potentially 64 million taps, per The Maple News, an aging operator base, and certification-driven premium markets in pork and produce.
The 2021 Census shows both consolidation and resilience, with farm numbers up slightly from 2016 under a revised farm definition.
Quebec has more maple taps than anyone, so it is only fair that its farmers get the best sugar-shack jokes. At farm.FM the farm satire crew believes a province that runs a strategic reserve of syrup has earned its own genre of farm humor. Add the cow quota paperwork, the shallots and the ice cider, and you have a feast of ranch humor and farm jokes that the farmers can enjoy with a pancake.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
Elite Farms and Ranches in Quebec
These 16 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.
Elite operations in Quebec
- Cidrerie Michel JodoinElite operation. Rougemont, Quebec. Cidrerie Michel Jodoin in Rougemont, Quebec: orchard since 1901, Canada's first microdistillery in 1999, gold ONMA winner. History, revenue and lessons.
- Cultures Gen VElite operation. Quebec. Cultures Gen V, Quebec's largest diversified greenhouse grower: Terrault family, since 1987, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes. History and revenue.
- DelflandElite operation. Napierville, Quebec. Delfland of Napierville, Quebec: Van Winden family vegetable grower, founded 1983, gold-medal ONMA winner. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact.
- duBretonElite operation. Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec. duBreton of Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec: family pork company since 1944 with a network of 300+ farms, organic and Certified Humane pork. History and lessons.
- Ferme L. Campbell et filsElite operation. Sainte-Sabine, Quebec. Ferme L. Campbell et fils, Sainte-Sabine, Quebec: fifth-generation Holstein Master Breeder herd (Camphols) with Jerseys. History, genetics and lessons.
- Fermes AndersonElite operation. Howick area, Quebec. Fermes Anderson (Silverstream Holsteins), Quebec dairy near Howick: gold-medal ONMA winner, 100 cows, maple trees. History, revenue, lessons and contacts.
- Les Industries Bernard et FilsElite operation. Saint-Victor, Quebec. Les Industries Bernard et Fils of Saint-Victor, Quebec: fifth-generation maple syrup maker tapping since the early 1800s. History, revenue, lessons and contact.
- Petch OrchardsElite operation. Hemmingford, Quebec. Petch Orchards in Hemmingford, Quebec: four-generation apple grower with a cider house, 115+ acres and a gold ONMA medal. History, revenue and contact.
Notable working farms and ranches in Quebec
Established, successful commercial operations that are not national headline names but show how good farms in Quebec actually earn a living.
- Canneberges BielerNotable operation. Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, Quebec. Canneberges Bieler, Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, Quebec: Canada's largest cranberry grower, started in the 1980s. History, Ocean Spray ties and lessons.
- Erabliere Cote et FilsNotable operation. Roxton Pond, Quebec. Erabliere Cote et Fils, Roxton Pond, Quebec: family maple operation with about 150,000 taps, tubing, reverse osmosis and electric evaporators. Lessons inside.
- Ferme FatranNotable operation. Saint-Liboire, Quebec. Ferme Fatran, Saint-Liboire, Quebec: family farm with hatching eggs, broilers, turkeys and 1,000+ acres of corn, soybeans and barley. Operation and lessons.
- Ferme M.G. L'Heureux inc.Notable operation. Bellechasse, Quebec. Ferme M.G. L'Heureux, Bellechasse, Quebec: fourth-generation dairy farm owned since 1928, 580 milking cows, robots. History, revenue streams and lessons.
- Ferme Porc SB Inc.Notable operation. Saint-Elzear, Quebec. Ferme Porc SB Inc., Saint-Elzear, Quebec: farrow-to-finish hog farm raising about 51,000 piglets a year, led by 2026 Outstanding Young Farmer.
- Les Fermes LongpresNotable operation. St. Lawrence River valley, Quebec. Les Fermes Longpres, Quebec: organic farm of 1,600+ acres started in 1977, with corn, soybeans, wheat, ridge-till, flour and sunflower oil. Lessons inside.
- SavouraNotable operation. Quebec (greenhouses across the province). Savoura, Quebec: greenhouse grower of tomatoes and strawberries on about 39 hectares, with organic tomatoes since 2011. History, strategy and lessons.
- Vegpro InternationalNotable operation. Sherrington, Quebec. Vegpro International (Fresh Attitude), Sherrington, Quebec: grower-owned lettuce, mesclun, carrot and onion group with farms in Quebec, Florida and BC.
Who to Contact in Quebec: Agriculture Offices and Associations
- MAPAQ mission and services - Quebec ministry of agriculture
- Quebec dairy production - Ministry overview of Quebec milk production and quota
- MAPAQ agriculture statistics - Quebec ministry data on agricultural sectors
- Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Agriculture, Quebec - Farm numbers, revenue shares, maple, berries
- AAFC statistical overview of the maple industry 2025 - Maple production, value and exports
- Union des producteurs agricoles - Quebec farmers' union
- FCC loan program for farm transfers - Quebec succession data and FCC loan
- Ordre national du merite agricole 2023 ranking - Official ranking of top Quebec farms
- The Maple News on the 2025 Quebec crop - Crop size, taps and strategic reserve
Quebec Farming FAQ
How many farms are in Quebec?
The 2021 Census of Agriculture counted 29,380 farms.
What does Quebec produce most?
Dairy is the largest sector by revenue share, followed by hogs, with Quebec also producing about 90 percent of Canadian maple syrup.
Who regulates Quebec agriculture?
The provincial ministry is MAPAQ, and the UPA is the farmers' union.
How are farms transferred in Quebec?
FCC reports 600 to 800 transfers a year and offers an Enhanced Transition Loan with payment schedules of two to 10 years.
Quebec farms combine maple, dairy, hogs, vegetables, orchards and greenhouses in one province. Explore the profiled operations below, from Delfland to Cultures Gen V.