Jean-Michel makes no secret of his caring side. In his 28 years as a manager, his warm approach and sincere desire to help have consistently made an impression on those around him. He comes from a family of poultry farmers, and his work has always been closely linked to agriculture and nature. 

Dairy farmer Mikael Breton and his Sollio & Avantis Agriculture Coopérative agri‑advisor, Caroline Jacques, have a strong trust‑based relationship infused with a healthy dose of humour. Farm performance is no laughing matter, but that doesn’t mean the business partners can’t crack a good joke or two (or three).

“It’s only because Mikael loves it so much,” says Caroline with a smile. Mikael nods in agreement. “Well, it’s also because you’re so... spontaneous and... nice,” he adds, laughing at his own hesitation.

Through its corporate responsibility process, Sollio Agriculture has developed several tools to help farmers adopt agricultural practices that are more sustainable and just as profitable. Here are our top five wins of the past year.

1) Inaugurating the CRF AgriTech plant

The CRF AgriTech plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, produces controlled‑release fertilizers (CRF).

Despite her 35 years with Sollio Agriculture, Chantal Lecavalier still speaks as passionately as ever about her job. Having worked to raise awareness of Sollio Agriculture’s mission in the industry, she now wants future generations to discover the cooperative movement so that they can find a job that they love. 

Virginie Barbeau does a lot: training for running, cycling and swimming, pursuing continuing education, visiting sites, managing several projects at once. You’d need a ton of energy to keep up. Rigorous, disciplined and, above all, hungry for knowledge, this communications expert builds her career like an athlete. 

In 2023, after several years as a senior communications advisor, Virginie became Sollio Agriculture’s corporate responsibility communications lead.

The Sollio Agriculture website is a reliable source of information that gives farmers in all sectors access to a treasure trove of tips, trends and expert advice. While you wait for new content, don’t miss our top 5 articles of 2023!

World First Aid Day is the perfect opportunity to highlight the everyday contribution of first aid teams. They are – literally – vital in ensuring that all Sollio Agriculture employees feel safe. Sometimes, they even save lives.
 

This story about Sylvain Villeneuve is a prime example. In January 2023, the forklift operator trainer at the Sollio Agriculture distribution centre in Longueuil started feeling abdominal and chest pains during his afternoon break.

In the Durocher family, work is a family matter. Marc-Olivier holds a permanent position at Sollio Agriculture, and his career path was heavily influenced by his mother, who has worked there for 10 years herself. Every day, the mother-son duo work side by side attending to the cooperative’s poultry farms.

Agriculture: Like mother, like son

For Julie, it was no surprise when her son decided to follow in her footsteps.

In the Durocher family, work is a family matter. Julie has held her position at Sollio Agriculture for 10 years, and for the last few of them, she’s gotten to work with her son Marc-Olivier. Every day, the mother-son duo work side by side attending to the cooperative’s poultry farms.

Agriculture: Like mother, like son

For Julie, it was no surprise when her son decided to follow in her footsteps.

All year round, Sollio Agriculture welcomes interns of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it is meeting potential interns at job fairs or recruiting youth with learning disabilities through its placement program, Sollio Agriculture has its door wide open to the next generation.

Fairouz, Thomas, Elizabeth and Najwa are all examples of the kinds of people the cooperative looks for: curious minds eager to learn more about one of the most important industries in the world.

Read on to meet these four promising young people.