Farming in France

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
I feed for 9 months of the year most years. Winter feeding and Summer drought. Strip grazing at the moment. Probably be feeding by end of June / July


But how long do you house rog?. Target is always 3 months and end up getting pushed to 3.5. And the feeding outside is nothing like the full on winter feeding.
As an aside, one of my neighbors still has his cows in:scratchhead:. I want to stop and ask why, which I can, but there’s every chance I won’t understand the answer:(
 

le bon paysan

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin, France
But how long do you house rog?. Target is always 3 months and end up getting pushed to 3.5. And the feeding outside is nothing like the full on winter feeding.
As an aside, one of my neighbors still has his cows in:scratchhead:. I want to stop and ask why, which I can, but there’s every chance I won’t understand the answer:(
About 3 - 4 months.
However my predecessor here had a few years when he had to house in beginning of October and they were turned out start of May:eek:
Is your neighbour trying to stop them poaching? I bought mine back in the other night as forecast was 40 - 75 mm rain. Turfed them back out next morning as we had 16mm overnight.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
About 3 - 4 months.
However my predecessor here had a few years when he had to house in beginning of October and they were turned out start of May:eek:
Is your neighbour trying to stop them poaching? I bought mine back in the other night as forecast was 40 - 75 mm rain. Turfed them back out next morning as we had 16mm overnight.


He has quite a lot of sheep too. I wonder if he is just too busy to get around to getting them out. They have to cross the railway (would scare me to death) and the main road so he needs plenty of hands. Oh, plus he is the only one around here who keeps having a dozen or so smallenburg(?) calves so maybe it’s around that?
I will ask him soon, he loves teasing me that I can’t speak French :D
 

willy

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Rutland
About 3 - 4 months.
However my predecessor here had a few years when he had to house in beginning of October and they were turned out start of May:eek:
Is your neighbour trying to stop them poaching? I bought mine back in the other night as forecast was 40 - 75 mm rain. Turfed them back out next morning as we had 16mm overnight.


Have you read Doug Avery the resilient farmer, quite interesting regarding dry summers and feeding etc,
 
SS farms the sun.:D
Not been a good year all round
I farm a few limousins,crop a few cereals and some maize.You are welcome to come and have a laugh at a first generation farmer who started with not a lot and doesn't have much more now!!!!!!!!!
Turfed the cows out yesterday(calves weaned off),heifers been out about 2 weeks, brought some in after a mothering problem will be back out Friday hopefully after some blood tests today.
Drilling maize someday soon.
Everythings about a fortnight later this year because of the slightly higher than normal rainfall!!!
 

pellow

Member
Location
Newquay
What is the x bred and dairy bull calf market like in France? Can you source calves? Is there a similar set up with livestock markets as here?
 

le bon paysan

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin, France
What is the x bred and dairy bull calf market like in France? Can you source calves? Is there a similar set up with livestock markets as here?
Not the cross bred trade that the uk has. Dairy bred calves go for veal, nobody rears them for beef. French do purebred beef, Lims in the limousin, Charolais in the Cher, Blondes in the Aquitaine, Salers in the Auvergne, although they do sometimes put a Charollais on a Saler for the Veaux Sous la Mere market ( about 8 month old Veal sucked only milk from the cow, no hard food) like milking you put the calf on the cow twice a day turning cow out to graze calf stays inside.
 

Seth 2

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
limousin
Not been a good year all round
I farm a few limousins,crop a few cereals and some maize.You are welcome to come and have a laugh at a first generation farmer who started with not a lot and doesn't have much more now!!!!!!!!!
Turfed the cows out yesterday(calves weaned off),heifers been out about 2 weeks, brought some in after a mothering problem will be back out Friday hopefully after some blood tests today.
Drilling maize someday soon.
Everythings about a fortnight later this year because of the slightly higher than normal rainfall!!!

You're not on your own SS. We farm sheep. First generation farmers also started with nowt. On the bright side though, the grass is growing!
 

Muck Spreader

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Limousin
Are their many vegans in france or is it just a UK thing?.............

Not as bad as the UK but it's a growing problem. I have difficulty differentiating them from animal rights activists that have been attacking butchers shops and hanging around abattoirs. There have been a few cases over here of Vegans having their children taken into care due to severe malnutrition.
 

Seth 2

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
limousin

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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