Government of Canada helps Quebec specialty-cheese producer modernize

Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec – The dairy sector plays a vital role in Canada's economy, contributing $20.9 billion through sales by farmers and food processors, including over $7 billion in Quebec. The Government of Canada knows the importance of supporting a strong and competitive dairy sector, to ensure Canadian families continue to benefit from high-quality products while creating well-paying jobs.

 

Minister of International Development and Member for Parliament of Compton—Stanstead Marie-Claude Bibeau, along with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Member of Parliament for La Prairie Jean-Claude Poissant, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, today announced an investment of over $1.6 million under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund to La Corporation des Moines Bénédictins (Fromagerie de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac).

 

This project enabled the award-winning Fromagerie de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac to purchase and install modern automation equipment in its new plant, leading to lower operation costs, increased production, higher demand of milk and job creation.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.