“Nothing is as contagious as enthusiasm … It makes us surpass ourselves, it builds us up and projects us into our wildest dreams. It moves the stones, it charms the animals. Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity and, in truth, no victory can be achieved without it….”
It was only a dream until unexpected elements propelled us into reality.
We dreamed of a farm and it materialized in one year, at the bottom of our garden. It is our shared passion and enthusiasm that led us to this beautiful project. A farmhouse with its one and a half hectares of land was for sale and the puzzle naturally came together to turn it into a “gîte and farm”.
For the lodging we wanted to keep it in all its authenticity and charm but offering the necessary comfort.
For the farmhouse we wanted a building as natural as possible with the softest possible integration in our rurality. We therefore opted for an all-wooden building.
For the breeding, we wanted a rustic and pretty breed that could be easily integrated in our regions. Our choice was quickly made for the French “Aubrac” breed.
So we went directly on site to meet the breeders. We can never thank enough Vaino, Belgian veterinarian expatriated in Aubrac who allowed us to meet some of the best breeders of Aubracs. We would also like to thank Nicolas Batifol, a young breeder in love with the breed and extremely sharp in genetics to perpetuate a breed with the greatest respect for the animal. He unquestionably has a remarkable herd as evidenced by the many awards he has won with his animals. And you will have understood it it is in its very beautiful breeding that we selected our herd, that is to say six heifers and a bull. The “belles” arrived in April 2016. We produce our own fodder and without being currently certified Organic, we conduct our breeding in a reasoned way and without any chemical products. The six heifers were covered by the breeder at the end of February 2016.
We had our first calvings as early as November 28, 2016 with the birth of Arsouille from Capucine at 2am. On December 1st at 4pm, Freesia gave birth to a little Annabelle. December 2nd at 5 am our boiling Pâquerette gave us our first male Anatole. On December 4th at noon Pivoine gave birth to a female Athena. On December 5th at 7 am Tulipe offered us a wonderful Alice and on December 5th Rose closed the births by giving us with a lot of effort a beautiful and strong Aïcha.
The AUBRAC breed
The Aubrac is characterized by a wheaty coat, lyre-shaped horns, eyes that seem to be made up of kohl. From the first glance, Aubrac asserts its presence and shows its difference. But its beauty is not everything. A hardy nursing breed, the Aubrac develops many indisputable breeding qualities.
Easy to raise, Aubrac requires little labor and human intervention. It thus improves the working conditions of the breeders.
Rusticity
Born on the borders of 3 departments, Cantal, Lozère and Aveyron, and more precisely on the Aubrac plateau at an altitude of 1200m, the breed adapts perfectly to extreme climatic conditions: temperature variations, wind, cold.
Its robustness and resistance are recognized. Her moderate size and strong legs make her a good walker for traveling. The difficult environment of its birthplace forged the breed and taught it to be sober and undemanding in terms of food.
Excellent fertility and ease of reproduction
The Aubrac cow produces one calf per year in complete autonomy. Calving is easy and requires, in most cases, no supervision by the breeder. Calves are robust and show vitality from birth. (97% easy birthing).
Remarkable longevity
Aubrac cows leave the selection scheme at an average age of 11 years after giving birth to an average of 9 calves. (5% of the cows in production are more than 12 years old).
Recognized maternal qualities:
The Aubrac cow suckles her calf until weaning at 8-9 months. Her past as a cow milking in the mountains has left her with sufficient milk potential to raise her calf without feed supplementation. Stress (climatic, dietary, …) does not overwhelm this fabulous mother who is able to draw on her reserves to ensure the existence of her calf whatever the rearing conditions.