PHOTO: PHILIPPE CALDIER
GAEC des 3 Communes farm has become one of the main dairy farms in the region.
Orly Courvoisier at her former farm: “We are looking for strong cows with good longevity.”
cow management, more creativity and sharing new ideas, in- creased economic power, less stress. Orly and Frédéric’s last 100 cows arrived in Eringes on 24 April. “Since February we have moved 30 dry cows as they are more fragile,” adds Orly. We have € 4,000 savings per year in accounting fees. Instead of five people working on two farms, milking now takes place with three people, resulting in two available workers. “We also sold some machines,” states Christophe.
More alfalfa The GAEC des 3 Communes invested in a new building to welcome Orly’s herd of 130 cows (a total investment of around € 200 000, of which € 100 000 was subsidies). The as- sociates share the same goals: being profitable, having cows with a good udder and good legs, and cows that become pregnant easily. “We decided to drop the milk production from around 8,500 kg/cow to 7,700 kg in order to have less vet costs and more cow longevity,” explains Thomas, who is in charge of feeding. ProCROSS* is a genetic scheme applied at the farm where reproduction is managed by 6-7 bulls. The dairy cow’s ration is based on alfalfa hay (3 kg/cow/day), alfalfa silage (17 kg/cow at 30% dry matter), maize silage (21 kg/cow at 35% dry matter), barley (1.2 kg/cow), rape (0.8 kg/cow), corn-gluten (4 kg/cow), distillers grains (4 kg/ cow), and minerals (250 g/cow). “This ad libitum feeding al- lows an average production of 7,700 kg milk/cow,” adds Thomas. The dry cow ration is composed of alfalfa hay (5 kg/ cow), maize silage (16 kg/cow), and corn-gluten (2.5 kg/cow).
The new barn built for the creation of the new Gaec, with cubicles for 50 cows and straw bedding for 64 cows.
Heifers are managed in three different locations (Eringes, at Or- ly’s farm with 60 small heifers and at Philippe Chaudron’s farm in Massingy with 50 heifers). Heifers are fed an alfalfa + maize silage (50/50) mix. “With this feed management, we have a low production cost at around € 700/heifer,” explains Thomas.
Ecological transition Fabienne and her associates fully adhere to the agro-ecological approach with the integration of the Haute Côte-d’ Or’s Ecolog- ical Transition Contracts (see ETC Box) in 2018. “Thanks to the ETC, our products will be stamped ETC and we will be able to develop our own dairy product brand,” explains Fabienne. As a result, milk prices would rise from 33 to 39 cents per litre. How will the GAEC des 3 Communes evolve in the future? Philippe Chaudron, one of the seven associates in charge of heifer breeding, will retire within two to three years and will have to be replaced. “We may merge with another dairy farm,” concludes Fabienne Lepy.
* ProCROSS, is a crossing strategy which emerged in the 2000s in the US. It aims to connect three complementary breeds, namely the Holstein breed, dominant in production, the Montbéliarde breed, bringing rusticity and body condition, and the Scandina- vian Red, favouring calving. The objective of this three-way com- bination is therefore to optimise the heterosis effect as well as the genetic progress of each breed. The products obtained are more heterogeneous, but have the advantages of a significantly improved fertility, better resistance to diseases, and a greater adaptability to environmental and food modifications.
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