Jean-Guy Lacelle, passionate farmer and fulfilled father
In 1979, Jean-Guy Lacelle and his wife Diane Aubin took over his father’s dairy farm. A few years later, the family grew to include three daughters and a son, who inherited their parents’ passion for the great outdoors and farming: thus was born Ferme de la Rose des vents as we know it today.
Tightly Knit
The farm is located on the grounds of the family home, as is the butcher’s shop. Customers and employees pour in from all sides, while children merrily come and go from the buildings. As with the country-style house, Diane’s welcome is warm. The number of stools surrounding the island and the large dining room table make it clear that the house is used to welcoming many people. “This is everybody’s home,” explains Diane. The grandchildren come here every day, whether to catch the school bus, wake up their grandfather or simply enjoy a snack. This is because all family members are neighbors. Rather than saving for retirement, the couple chose to give their children a hand as they set out in life, by donating land. For Jean-Guy, this generosity goes without saying: “Everything that’s ours is theirs. Our children recognize this and give it back to us. It must be said that keeping their children close was a wish dear to their hearts, as Diane asserts: “It’s truly a privilege to have them close to us, to see them every day.
A Golden Dad
Above all, Myrianne Lacelle portrays her father as a man whose determination and resilience are a source of inspiration: “He’s never devastated by anything. He’s always positive. He has a kind of strength. Because of that, when you have a project in mind, you know it can be done. If you have the will, you have the power. Indeed, life seems to have brought its share of hardships for the family, especially for Mr. Lacelle. In addition to having his hips replaced in the last few weeks and a kidney removed in 2000, he has experienced all kinds of crazy accidents in the course of his life. To hear his family tell it, almost dying is part of his daily life. For her part, Geneviève describes Mr. Lacelle as “a cool, open dad to whom you can say anything”, which at one time made her friends envious. The latter always felt particularly at home with the Lacelles: “They even rummaged in the fridge! But it never bothered us,” recalls Jean-Guy Lacelle. Although fatherhood has always seemed like second nature to him, this hasn’t prevented Mr. Lacelle from encountering certain challenges. His wife names reconciling work and family as the main challenge: “Jean-Guy was a hard worker, a workaholic. He was a very loving father, but one who worked a lot and for whom work was a priority. I had to be persistent. To see him, we had to make his everyday life our everyday life,” adds Myrianne.
A Family Affair
Jean-Guy Lacelle’s love of farming comes from his father, who owned a subsistence farm with some fifteen dairy cows: “He didn’t have a passion for farming, but he probably passed it on to me anyway, because I always followed him. I was always on the back of a tractor”. When his father decided to sell the farm, Jean-Guy had another job that didn’t make him happy. So he decided to take the plunge and buy it back, much to his father’s delight: “That’s when the adventure began.
The whole family agrees that farming is a vocation. While Myrianne always knew she’d work for the family business, it wasn’t the same for her sister, Geneviève Lacelle, who now runs the butchery side of the business: “We weren’t all cut out for farming. I wasn’t at all! I didn’t like following my father around the farm. It was difficult. And what about the fourth generation? “They all said at some point that they would work on the farm. But we don’t know,” explains Diane Aubin. “We’ll see over time. We’re not tying anyone down,” concludes Geneviève.
Written by: Mary Radermaker, journalist for l’Info de la Lièvre Published June 10, 2024