Come and meet these magnificent wild animals!
By a snowy morning in March, I met with Jean-Philippe Demontigny and his wife Geneviève, at La Terre des Bisons, in Lanaudière. This large bison and elk farm, is located on the territory of the municipality of Rawdon, a hilly region well-known by cyclists and hikers.
Family first
Jean-Philippe’s parents Josée Toupin and Alain Demontigny, two townsfolk, decided in 1992 to buy this ancestral farm for bison farming. Beginning with nothing but the desire to start a new country life, they bought their first three bison in 1994 and began selling the meat in 1997. The purchase of several herds in the following years has made them one of the largest producers in Quebec. In 2012, Jean-Philippe officially took over and that same year, he introduced elk as a new farm offer.
Local gastronomic products
Besides one or two outlets like Marché des Saveurs at the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal, the sales are solely done at the farm. All cuts of meat are offered, fresh or frozen, and many restaurateurs are amongst the most loyal customers. We can also find chili, bolognaise sauce and tartins (a unique sort of meat pâté) in jars.
Recently, the house has been moved a hundred meters to make room for bigger groups to come and enjoy all the delicacies that La Terre des Bisons has to offer. More people want a taste of the sausages, perfectly grilled hamburgers or the mouth-watering bison bourguignon.
La Terre des Bisons is also accredited by Le Terroir des Saveurs
Summertime at La Terre des Bisons
Also, activities are available on site all year round. In summer, enjoy a good hike or visit the Interpretation center for large farmed game of Quebec. If your visit is planned in the winter, rent some snowshoes and enjoy the beauty of the domain.
The Interpretation center is the perfect place to get to know more about those beautiful animals. For instance, you can learn that unlike cows, you can’t get close to a bison: they stay wild animals. Buffy is the exception to the rule; it is a domesticated female that is now the farm mascot. I also learned that even though they are massive, they can jump up to two meters high and be really fast. Their meat taste similar to that of beef; elk meat however has the more pronounced taste of game.
Hopefully, we can come back on the farm and spend a day or two this summer, in order to give you a better idea of the work done by those farmer-breeder, the beauty of their animals and their field, and explore the trails hidden in these 300 acres of land.
So, ready to head out to La Terre des Bisons?
We know we are!
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About us
Behind Nathalie photographie is Nathalie Choquette. Coming from the tourism industry, converted to professional photography for the last 3 years, her desire is to put her talent in photojournalism at the service of SMEs in the tourism and agritourism. To know more, visit our page who we are.
The goal is to document in pictures their trades, services, know-how, site or equipment in order to provide the client with professional images that will allow them to attract more customers. To discover some of our photo reports and trades service, visit our portfolio.
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