Peasant agriculture, a family story that these three sisters cultivate in the Cher

Because that same year, Sandie (32), who was training in environmental law, took up residence in the farm of her ancestors, renamed the Song of the Fields. It is only natural that she turns to the cultivation of cereals. “My primary objective was to feed Justine’s goats,” explains the youngest. Barley, oats, triticale, field beans, spelled, fill its 50 hectares of land and its 20 hectares. “Then, I wanted to have a finished product by making oil and flour,” she continues. It was also the opportunity to diversify my production, which is very important for the soils in order to fight against weeds and diseases. Hemp, sunflower, flax and malting barley (for the beers of his companion, Eloi Sgez, brewer in the town) complete this wide range of spring and winter crops.

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Oil, straw, fibers … In the Cher, the cultivation of hemp is structured to find outlets

Finally, in 2017, the eldest Anaïs (38) and her partner Maxime arrived at the Suchauds farm. These ex-artists, also gone through oyster farming in Brittany, choose to breed goats, pigs and chickens. “The presence of my family and the opportunity to take over this ready-made farm made me come back”, smiles shyly this mother who wanted “to offer to [s]he three children have the chance to grow up among animals ”

“We claim to be in peasant agriculture, these are values ​​we believe in. »Or an idea of ​​agriculture which does not only have a role in the production of foodstuffs. The social, environmental and product quality maintenance aspects are just as important. In this sense, each of their activities is particularly complementary and very short circuits were quickly put in place. Because here, everything is valued. Whey, from the production of cheese, is for example given to pigs. “It is ultra-polluting waste, even with a pit up to standards. But pigs love it. It’s the best filter that we could find, ”says Justine. And Anaïs to engage: “When we have finished crushing the hemp to make oil, we recover the waste called cake. Goats love it, it is still a super-rich and very fatty product. “

Independent on their farm, but associated with the cheese factory

Produce, transform, sell. This is how they see their profession. Like their father, a breeder of suckler cows soon to retire, who owned a butcher’s shop. But there the game of comparisons ends. “He worked on another model, on a much larger scale. The first family meals were sometimes difficult, laughs Justine. For example, we didn’t necessarily want to plow our land when he had done so throughout his career. It was not always easy to make him understand that we wanted to do things differently. “But time has proved its worth and the energy displayed by his daughters has finally convinced him:” Now he says that if he had to settle down, he would do like us. “” We cannot produce for everyone. Besides, we don’t want to do it. But, we claim to live with dignity from our profession, to sell our products at a price that is fair: all the costs are calculated, we have not set such or such price to align with those of the neighbor ”, explains Sandie.

The Floquet sisters are independent on their three organic farms, but they are associated with their 13 Blés cheese dairy which they have installed in a former agricultural building on the Chant des champs farm, in the heart of the village of Loye-sur-Arnon. Next to the vast processing room, where they take turns every day, is a store where their goat cheeses such as Clémembert, a revisited Camembert, are sold; the Maguette, a sort of maroilles; the Beta, a feta made in Berry; the Cornebique, inspired by the Saint-Nectaire; the famous crottins, renamed Biquets; or the latest creation, Tersiotte, a goat cheese.