Increasing numbers of French tillage farmers are now looking at the option of certified organic production as a means of maintaining the viability of their businesses.
This trend has been driven by conviction, where some farmers are concerned.
However, other factors coming into play include the availability of enhanced crop prices and the attractive, transition support packages on offer from the French government.
French tillage farmers
A case in point is Alexandre Bardet, who farms with his brother Damien close to the city of Auxerre in the Yonne Valley.
They grow a mix of wheat, oilseed rape and sunflowers on their 900ha unit. They also own a vineyard, the grapes from which are used to produce Chablis.
The land is characterised by its gently rolling topography and shallow soils with their high stone and silt content.
Limestone is the predominant rock found in the region with the result that most soils have inherently high pH values – well above 7.0 in many cases.
Alexandre and Damien are transitioning their farm from conventional to organic status.
Previously, they had been able to achieve wheat yields of 5-7t/ha. However, this has now dropped to a maximum of 2t/ha.
Helping the transition to organic status has been the inclusion of a sheep enterprise on the farm. They are stocked at a rate of 10 ewes/ha and grazed on land prior to it being cropped.
By taking this approach, the dung produced by the animals acts as a valuable organic manure.
The Yonne region
Soil erosion is a big threat to the many tillage farmers operating in the Yonne region. The area is predisposed to very strong easterly winds for most of the year.
In order to minimise the erosion threat, cover crops are established after most crop harvests. Winter wheat is combined as early as June.
A group of Irish cereal and potato growers recently visited the Bardet farm. The trip had been organised by Lemken Ireland.
They were informed that the impact of climate change had now become an imminent management challenge for farmers across the Yonne region. Summer temperatures peaked this year at 45°C with little or no rain falling in the weeks running up to harvest.
Adding to the challenges faced by the Bardet family is the fact that conventional wheat prices strengthened considerably in 2022, leaving the margins to be secured from organic grain at very minimal levels.
Margins across their business were also hit by the fact that the French wine sector has come under severe economic pressure over the past two years.
Given that increasingly hot and dry summers now seem to be an inevitable consequence of climate change, the Bardet family have joined forces with nine neighbouring farmers to establish a solar energy project.
The coming months will see 38ha of land given over to solar panels. The diversification project will be supported by the French government.
It is also envisaged that the sheep currently grazing the cover crops established on the Bardet farm will be used to control the vegetation that grows up between the individual solar panels.