Usually, Cédric Mandin harvests his 60 hectares of maize in September and proceeds to ensilage (siloing for preservation) those that are used solely to feed his 600 cattle. But there, the Vendée farmer will cut everything on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, we have a corn that burned on the spot, we have a plant that has no ears. Obviously, it will have little nutritional value or no value at all.
Cédric Mandin, Vendée operatorat franceinfo
In addition to a limited nutritional value that will not allow him to feed his cattle, the corn harvested is much less numerous than usual. “We are going to be 50 to 60% less than last year”says the operator.
Figures, far from those of 2021 and its exceptional harvest. Fortunately for him, Cédric Mandin still has stocks from this record year. But he must already draw from it, the drought having burned the grass to graze on the meadows.
If he is one of the luckiest, the breeder also thinks of his neighbours, colleagues who have fewer reserves and will have to buy other cereals, other food to feed their cows. problem right now “It’s very expensive given the price spikes we’ve seen since the spring. We don’t necessarily have the cash to be able to buy it”he presses.
Faced with this, only one solution is necessary for some: sell part of their livestock. “The direct consequence of less production for those who are in dairy production is that there may be surplus animals that will arrive on the meat market”abounds Michel Moquet, of the Plant Institute.
The drought could therefore increase the price of milk and lower that of beef in the coming months.
Drought: the consequences of early corn harvests – Report by Thomas Giraudeau
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