The Massif Central region is the largest upland area in France, and is famous for Charolais, Limousin, Aubrac and Salers cattle. Travelling throughout the countryside there were very few stock out at pasture and where cattle were out they were generally lowly stocked.

As part of the IFBA group’s visit we travelled to the region to see the pedigree Salers herd of GAEC Famille Champeix. The family-run farm has been breeding Salers since 1930, and are now in their fourth generation. On the day, we met Didier who talked us through the operation that they run.

Farm system

The entire farm consists of 330ha split between two blocks of 120ha and 210ha, with heifers predominantly reared on the smaller block. There is a farm shop on site where meat from the herd is butchered and sold, however the slaughtering takes place at a local abattoir. Between four and five animals are sold every month through the farm shop, which represents an interesting option for on-farm diversification.

As with many French farms, the majority of the land is used to grow hay. Around 240ha is used for hay production and pasture for the cattle. A further 70ha is used for maize production, with approximately 8ha used to produce triticale. Close to 300t of sugar beet pulp is stored in pits on the farm, this is supplied by a local sugar beet factory as it is a residue of their production. It is predominantly used for fattening bulls which are generally finished between 18 and 22 months.

Didier highlights that a sustainable farming system is operated on the farm, with very little chemical fertiliser applied to pasture. All sheds are bedded in straw, creating a large amount of organic fertiliser.

The shed

A large shed was constructed in 2007 to house suckler cows. The shed is divided into three large pens and has the potential to accommodate 130 cows. While some cattle will be housed for the entire year, most cows will come off pasture in November, with the aim to calve throughout November and December.

Cows and calves will return to pasture again in March, according to Didier. The region receives approximately 700mm of rain annually and usually no snow, meaning ground conditions are rarely an issue. The shed itself is 18 bays long and measures 110m long by 26m wide. The total cost came to €300,000, however the family did receive extensive grant aid of approximately €200,000.

Inside

Inside, the shed is split between a 16m wide penned area and a 10m wide feed passage which is currently being used to store bales of hay and straw.

The entire frame of the shed is made from timber, a common design in larger sheds in France.

The shed is fitted with Yorkshire cladding which creates an airy atmosphere within the shed.

There was, however, only a fraction of the cattle that the shed will accommodate over the winter inside, so it is difficult to know how well the ventilation would work when fully stocked. There is a gap along the ridge of the roof which also provides ventilation.

The entire shed is one of scale, with large concrete water troughs and hay racks in place throughout. As no cattle on the farm are dehorned, feeding barriers must be designed with this in mind. These barriers can also be locked if desired.

The roof sheeting is fibre cement which is vapour permeable and will therefore prevent condensation from building up.

Roof light sheeting ensures ample light enters the shed. The floor in the pens are clay which are bedded with straw throughout the winter months.

A high dry matter diet helps prevent pens from getting too dirty.

Drystock shed

Also in place on the farm is a five bay double straw-bedded shed. This is predominantly used to house young stock. This shed had a more familiar steel frame, however this was where the familiarities with most Irish sheds ended.

Fitted with a lofted area above all of the pens, straw is easily stored close to where it is needed and is easily knocked down into pens when fresh bedding is required.

The shed is open on one side so ventilation does not seem to be an issue even with the low lofts.

There are no head gates in place in the shed, with straight bars fitted instead which can be adjusted depending on the size of the animals.

The bedding areas of the pens are lower than the feeding areas in an effort to keep the standing areas clean.

This step also provides the option for the build-up of a large amount of bedding before the shed needs to be cleaned.

According to Didier, this large step does not have an effect on the intake of animals, which was one of the concerns raised by the group.

All drinkers in this shed are concrete as it is viewed as more resilient, with one floater controlling the level of all the drinkers.

This shed cost approximately €120,000 to construct.

On behalf of those who travelled to France, I would like to sincerely thank the entire IFBA committee who helped organise a very successful trip, with a special thanks to IFBA secretary Philip O’Dwyer.

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