Description
Thomas LECLERC and Jérémy VILLALON own a herd of 71 cross-bred dairy cows in northern Brittany. The farm covers a total area of 84 hectares, all of it grassland. The cows produce 347,000 litres of organic milk, an average of 5,000 litres per cow, without concentrates thanks to spring block calving. The area grazed per cow is 0.80 ha.
In 2023, the entire farm was converted to grassland. The farmers first stopped growing wheat and other cash crops, and later maize silage. In 2022, they acquired a further 17 hectares of land, which was sown with multi-species grassland consisting of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, white clover and red clover. Hybrid ryegrass was added to the mix for cut grasslands only. These 17 hectares are used to fatten animals for meat production and to achieve self-sufficiency in fodder. With an all-grass system, they aim to reduce input and fuel consumption, minimise working hours on the farm and introduce a more seasonal aspect to their work. With animals fed 100 % grass, their aim is to maximise grazing, reduce the need for fodder storage and reduce the feeding costs for the cows. Mechanisation is also kept to a minimum despite the fragmented layout of the farm.
Thomas LECLERC and Jérémy VILLALON recommend to gradually increase the proportion of grassland in the system and to seek advice on grass and pasture management from technicians and other farmers. Visiting other farms with extensive grass-based or all-grass systems is also helpful.
