Fattening of 1000 lambs with a 100% grass ration in Organic Farming
In Creuse, Pierre Grancher and his wife Laurianne are not afraid of numbers. Together, they raise 850 ewes in Organic Farming and sell more than 1,000 lambs each year. At the same time, the farmer continues to shear 20,000 sheep annually.
Identity sheet
- Farm : GAEC des Montagnes.
- Location : Boussac-Bourg, Creuse.
- Date of installation : Laurianne Grancher in 2017, Pierre Grancher in 2018.
- FTE : 2 + 1 apprentice.
- UAA : 160 ha.
- Annual productions : 850 ewes, 1,000 lambs, grasslands for grazing (125 ha), triticale/peas/oats/vetch for self-consumption (15 ha), sorghum (15 ha).
- Specifications : Organic Farming.
- Marketing : Organic subsidiary of the cooperative Agneau Berry Sologne.
Context of implementation
At the time a professional sheep shearer, Pierre Grancher discovered Creuse during his many trips. "My wife and I are originally from the Alpes-de-Haute Provence and we were looking to buy a farm. We really liked this place and decided to settle here," says the farmer. They settled in 2017 in Boussac-Bourg. Starting with a small organic farm of 70 ha and 300 ewes. They ended up buying another farm in 2018, then a few additional plots in 2020. In three years, the couple now in GAEC, owns nearly 160 ha entirely organic of which 145 are grazed by their 850 ewes. "We couldn't see ourselves doing otherwise. There was no interest for us to be conventional after all," affirms Pierre Grancher.
Implementation
Ewes benefiting from the hilly bocage of Creuse and the implementation of rotational grazing to ensure a sufficient amount of grass throughout the year. Ewes with lambs graze first on the plots ready to be grazed to benefit from "all the best of the grassland" for 24 hours. The weaned ewes follow on the plot for another 24 hours as they only have maintenance nutritional needs.
This technique is ideal to free up time for the farmer who continues to shear more than 20,000 sheep in his region. "Some farmers think this system takes a lot of time : basically, the main thing is to open a new gate every day, move the salt and the water trough. Then you have to focus on monitoring. Our apprentice manages this activity when I am absent for my shearing work."
To facilitate monitoring, Pierre Grancher and his wife Laurianne have selected hardy breeds. They work with a crossbreed of Suffolk, Romney and Bleu du Maine. Moreover, they still have Limousins from the last farm they took over.
At GAEC des Montagnes, ewes stay outside more than ten months a year. They return to the barn from mid-January to mid-February, for a lambing season that takes place from February 1 to 20. An intense period of monitoring and work because about a thousand lambs are born. Then, they go back out to graze with their young between February 20 and March 1. "One of the particularities of our farm lies in the fattening of the lambs, explains Pierre Grancher. They are 100% grass-fed before leaving, to be turned into meat, at the age of 4 to 5 months, for an average carcass weight of 19 kg", says Pierre Grancher.
To have fodder even in summer and to preserve his stocks, Pierre Grancher plants 15 ha of sorghum which he lets graze during drought periods.
Finally, paulownias have been planted in the plots to provide shade for the flock "the interest of paulownia is that it holds 2 records, one of growth so it will quickly provide us shade in the middle of these large plots and the second record is that it is a tree that produces a lot of oxygen so it's not bad for the planet," explains the farmer.
Results
About 50% of the lambs are sold right after weaning. The others stay one more month and are fattened with pure legumes in the best grasslands of the farm.
Assessment
Organic since the beginning, the farming couple cannot see themselves working otherwise. "Our products are not valued much higher than conventional ones, but we are already lucky that the cooperative we work with, Agneau Berry Sologne, has an organic subsidiary, which is not the case for all," admits the farmer.
Perspectives
Pierre Grancher and his wife simply plan to continue planting trees and increase the herd : " not out of necessity but simply because we like it, and if we have the capacity to feed them, we might as well feed more," specifies the farmer.
Sources
- Tech&Bio.2021.The 14 Laureates 2021 Tech&Bio.https://www.tech-n-bio.com/fr/archives-1/salon-international-techbio-2021/les-talents
