in the Vosges, INRAE ​​is developing new breeding techniques that are more respectful of the environment

Scientists from the Agricultural Research Institute (INRAE) are trying to reinvent agriculture in experimental farms. Example in Mirecourt, in the Vosges.

At the Mirecourt experimental farm, in the Vosges, the key word is autonomy. But how can we develop more environmentally friendly livestock farming, reduce the use of pesticides or even reduce the workload of farmers? Inrae scientists ask themselves these questions every day in the experimental farms of the Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Rémi Lavé, technician at INRAE, takes care of 90 dairy cows using so-called agroecology methods, which aims to reconcile agriculture and ecology.

Pointing to a Montbéliard cow, he explains: “She eats fodder from the farm. So here, you have hay made from alfalfa. We prohibit any external purchase of food.” So there is no need to buy hay, corn or soybeans. The animals feed by grazing in permanent meadows. And they only undergo one milking per day. “Classically, in dairy farming, milking is once in the morning, once in the evening, recalls Rémi Lavé. We chose single milking, so we only treat in the morning. Milking goes much better in the morning than when it’s hot in summer or in the afternoon.”

A single daily milking means less milk collected. But there is no question of talking about loss of profitability, according to Thomas Puech, agronomy research engineer. “Indeed, we produce less milk from the animals, he admits. But we have relatively low feed costs, particularly due to the fact that our animals graze a lot. Also with the specificity that we wanted, via mono milking, freeing up working time for the breeding of other animals such as sheep.”

“Agroecology means thinking about the system as a whole”

This free time allows us to take advantage of the breeding of sheep, but also of pigs which, again, feed thanks to the farm’s resources, recalls Amandine Durpoix. “Our pig farming can be considered a bit like the anti-waste of the farmassures the study engineer at the Mirecourt farm. And we will size the herd that we can raise, the number of pigs that we can raise, based on the quantity of small grains of wheat, small grains of oats, small grains of lentils that we have on the farm“, explains Amandine Durpoix.

All these cultivation and breeding methods have a name: agroecology. Bénédicte Autret is director of the farm’s research unit: “Having animals that will be able to graze our pastures but also fertilize our soils, maintain life in our soils and therefore be able to ensure cereal production of all types of crops since here we have up to to around twenty different ones. That’s what agroecology is, it’s about thinking about the system in its entirety.” she specifies. The products are sold in nearby businesses. Inrae researchers are giving themselves another five years to assess the profitability of the operation.