This year, it’s a 5-year-old from Normandy who finds herself pushed to the forefront. Oreillette will be in the spotlight during the nine days of the Agricultural Show. Enough to make this meeting “a little more stressful”, listening to François Foucault.
At 60 years old, the Norman breeder has seen others, he who will be participating for the fifth time in the annual high mass of agriculture. For almost four decades he has been at the head, with his cousin, of a farm in Briouze, in Orne. “I joined forces in 1987 with my cousin in this farm run by my parents which has been in the family for at least two centuries,” recalls François Foucault. Today, in turn, he is preparing the handover to his daughter, Lucie, and her partner, Florian, planned for the next two years. “A succession must be prepared at least two years in advance,” explains François Foucault. There are a lot of steps to take. For rents alone, we rent the 155 hectares that we operate to 20 different owners. They must be notified 18 months in advance of the change of policyholder. We must also evaluate the Gaec shares and the transfer price.”
Although generations succeed one another on the Foucault farm, life as a farmer has not always been rosy. “We suffered all the conventional milk crises in 2008-2009 and 2015-2016. Basic prices paid by dairies have fallen seriously. At that time we were paid the same price as when we had set up thirty years before, even though the costs had greatly increased, it was no longer possible,” recalls François Foucault. To get out of this rut, while some of their neighbors left milk to raise beef cows, François and his cousin Didier played the card of quality and terroir. They deliver their produce to the Gillot dairy, 6 kilometers from the farm. It is known for its famous raw milk camemberts under protected designation of origin (PDO). “Since 2016, our financial situation has improved because we have switched to dairy production under AOP. This gives a boost to the price of milk, around a third more than the base price. This allowed us to hire my daughter Lucie and Florian, says François Foucault. There are strict specifications but we like the quality. Cows must be 100% Normandy breed. That’s good, we’ve always had them on the farm.”
Lucie Foucault does not discover this reality of the profession. “Currently, I am paid just a little above the minimum wage, which suits me to live happily next to our cows,” she says with conviction. It’s a childhood dream. I have been passionate about breeding since I was 12 years old. I always wanted to be a farmer. I completed an agricultural baccalaureate in Sées, less than an hour from home, and became a partner in the Joint Agricultural Group (Gaec) with my father, his cousin and my partner. I really like genetics. They left the management of the herd and questions of insemination to me.”
Of course, “we have fears and apprehensions, there is paperwork and administrative controls,” continues Lucie Foucault. But, we take our courage in both hands and we get started. We will work as a couple and we will not be able to alternate weekends, at least at the start of our activity. We will see afterwards if we can employ an employee. We couldn’t see ourselves doing another job.” Words that refer to the news of recent weeks, with the massive mobilization of the country’s farmers. “We stand in solidarity with the movement because there are too many checks and documents to complete. Administrative tasks take up one day a week at the office, says François Foucault, while covering his daughter with an admiring look. We chose this profession for outdoor work. Certain measures to simplify standards announced by the Prime Minister are going in the right direction.”
But as the opening of the Agricultural Show approaches, the passion for the land and animals takes over. And Earpiece, of course! It was Pascal Orvain, head of the selection organization for the Normandes, the third milk breed in France behind the prim’Holstein and the Montbéliarde, who announced to the Foucaults, in August, that their cow had been selected for to be the muse of the 2024 edition of the show. The one who celebrated her 5th birthday on December 19 has already calved three times. “It’s a productive cow, with 9850 liters in third lactation,” explains Pascal Orvain. She has many morphological qualities, a good size, a harmonious skeleton, an excellent, fairly high udder, well-placed teats, very functional for milking.”
Oreillette is therefore well suited to play the role of Porte de Versailles ambassador. In any case, she brings happiness to the Foucault family. “We are very proud to have been selected. We will all go as a family to the show the first weekend because it is the national Normandy cow competition. An extended family because, adds François Foucault, we have a second cow which will be in the ring.
