Les FiersPetons De Longoulet, ferme diversifiée et brasserie

Les FiersPetons De Longoulet: diversified farm and responsible brewery!

Help us set up a diversified farm in Normandy, France, and revitalize the Virois bocage! Market gardening, brewing, sheep farming… There is no shortage of projects

Les FiersPetons is the meeting of two projects that complement and merge to become one... On the one hand, the desire for Jéromine, Robin and Kévin to create a habitat shared between friends, a place where everyone would have their privacy while having the opportunity to experience moments of conviviality. On the other side, an agricultural project initiated more than 2 years by Alix and Aurélien. The idea was to take over a farm together to practice diversified, local and human-sized organic farming. This is how the collective Les Férus du biocal was born. But faced with the difficulties of access to land (land speculation, expansion of existing farms, too high takeover costs, etc.) the project did not succeed.

Sensitive to the world around us, we want to build a common and sustainable place where we can strive for food and energy autonomy, live simply, while reducing our impact on the environment and offer diversified and local peasant production.

Nestled on the border between the Virois bocage and the plain of Caen, the Pied Taillis is the paradise of the FiersPetons. Two stone farmhouses on either side of a courtyard and 13 hectares of agricultural land farmed organically. All with many dependencies, a source and a well allowing the realization of many of our projects.

Alix: A great lover of animals and more particularly of horses from an early age, I discovered agriculture during my studies (BAC STAV Agricultural Productions, BTSA Animal Productions and Engineering Diploma at ISA). After a few years of working in advising farmers, I went through various seasonal contracts (apple harvesting, market gardening, breeding and cheese processing, etc.) which made me want to settle down myself. . My background has allowed me to understand the many facets of agriculture and I want to show that it is possible to produce differently with an agriculture that respects the environment, people, animals,... In the project, I want to develop a small and diversified family breeding of pets for eco-grazing and a social, educational and animal mediation activity.

Jéromine:: I am 32 years old and still have dreams in my head! Originally from Mondeville, on the outskirts of Caen, I did higher education in the food industry in Saint-Lô then in Bristol in England. As a laboratory technician, I do physico-chemical analyzes on Norman cider and brewing products. Aware of ecology for many years, I have traveled to many countries and this has reinforced my desire to preserve our planet and its inhabitants. This project is for me the opportunity to create a different place where humans and nature could flourish, a sustainable place where living together allows us to help each other and to advance personally while bringing our little stone to a more global building. One day, maybe, I will launch a small artisanal cheese dairy project.

Aurélien: Originally from the Pays d'Auge, even when I was very young, I gave apples to the cow at my grandparents’ house. On my return from New Zealand, after my studies in biology, the desire to work in the agricultural environment made me explore different professions over 5 years. The idea of being an actor in the agricultural world by satisfying my convictions with the aim of producing healthy and sustainable food for the respect of the planet convinced me to make my project a reality. The adventure of the Fiers Petons will reach out to us and this will allow us to produce fresh, local and quality food. For my part, I will take care of the sheep and lambs according to the model of organic farming. Eco-grazing is also an activity that I would like to develop.

Robin: Passionate about nature since always, I grew up in the middle of the fields of the Normandy bocage, lulled by the reports of Commander Cousteau and the "Animal Kingdom". Aware of the importance of our relationships with the world around us, I studied ecology and forest management, realizing that I was not cut out to live in the "traditional" system. After obtaining my diplomas, I wanted to find a project in which to invest myself and which corresponded to my expectations, both ecological and human. This is how I found myself participating in the Fiers Petons project. I hope that my knowledge of forestry and ecology in general will bring added value to this project, even if for reasons of economic viability, I would keep my job 4 days a week. Amateur brewer, I am also at the origin of the small craft brewery project.

Kevin : Born in Haute-Savoie, I have always been attracted to wide open spaces and nature. Sensitized very early on to the fragility of our ecosystems and the importance of preserving them, I have always sought to find a balance between our modern life and my impact on the environment. I met Robin during our college years and a few years and meetings later, here we are, a group of friends with this crazy project : to settle in the heart of our beautiful Normandy countryside, in this large farmhouse. Our objectives are part of a healthy and sustainable approach : strive towards ever greater autonomy (food and energy), reduce our environmental impact, participate in the revitalization of our campaigns and favor short circuits while developing our personal projects. .

We want to create a place where respect for ecosystems and the living will not be a simple secondary factor but a central object of our life and our peasant production. Around this point, we want to build a close-knit community but open to others where sharing, mutual aid and solidarity will be fundamental values.

Like what was done in the past, we want to develop a diversified farm where each activity interacts, supports and complements the other workshops. This global management will allow us to move towards farm autonomy (waste from one workshop can become a resource for another workshop) but also to offer a variety of quality products. We want to recreate the link through sales and reception on the farm and be a driving force in local life by organizing small events and supporting local initiatives. This project is an opportunity to act on our scale for local, ethical, healthy and quality food.

In detail, the farm will offer:

- A sheep meat and eco-grazing activity managed by Aurélien. He started the business 2 years ago and already owns around 50 Suffolk and Roussin de la Hague animals.

- An activity of breeding diversified animals intended for eco-grazing (Black Nose sheep from Valais, Col Noir goats, Highland and Galloway cows, etc.) but also local Normandy breeds to be preserved (Donkeys Normand and Cotentin, Bayeux pigs, goats from the ditches, Normandy cows, white rabbits from Hotot, Cotentine, Crèvecœur and Gournay hens, Duclair and Rouen ducks, Normandy geese, etc.). These animals will also serve as support for a social, educational and animal mediation activity managed by Alix.

- A plant workshop with the production of vegetables and medicinal plants, mainly for self-consumption to feed us and care for the animals, but whose surpluses can be sold.

- Some hens will be raised for their eggs and their meat, always with a view to food autonomy.

- The creation of a pico-brewery managed by Robin, with 100% local ingredients, systems that save water, energy and are as responsible as possible, and above all, with a deposit system on reusable bottles tending towards 0 waste.

- The planting of fruit trees and berries to market fruit in the more or less long term but also to offer some processed products such as juices, jams, etc.

- The establishment of an apiary which will make it possible to obtain good honey, increase biodiversity and pollination on the farm and safeguard the black bee.

- In the long term, Jéromine would like to create a small cheese processing activity.

Alix and Aurélien's projects are monitored and supported by CIVAM, the Peasant Confederation and RHIZOME. Rhizome is an agricultural activity and employment cooperative that allows people with an agricultural project (market gardening, livestock, arboriculture, etc.) or para-agricultural (pruning, logging) to test their project.

10,000€ : This first level will allow us to support and accelerate the significant investments necessary for the development of the various activities:

- A dryer on racks meeting the new production potential (around €2000);

- Wooden shelters and the creation of groves to shelter the animals in the different plots dedicated to rotational grazing;

- Enough to develop the pico-brewery project, thus making it possible to go from 20L per brew to 100L;

- The development of the tunnel into a sheepfold with an effective and safe containment system for the handling and care of the animals.

15,000€ : This level will improve the farm environment with:

- The establishment of sanitation by phyto-purification which will replace the current system which no longer meets the standards;

- The establishment of diversified bocage and fodder hedges around and within the plots.

If this objective is achieved, the levels at 50, 100 and 300 euros will see their contribution in beer doubled.

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Visits and walks can of course be done accompanied by your children. Do not hesitate to ask us your questions about this.

Please note, however, that only the €20 counterpart can be sent by post, for all other levels you can come and pick them up at the farm by saying hello.

We sincerely wish to express our gratitude to you for having read our project so far, whether or not you can help us it already means a lot to us!

Thanks also to the Miimosa platform and especially to Victoire, our coach, for her presence and this great advice.

If you want to communicate with us, do not hesitate to write to us at the following address: 

lesfierspetonsdelongoulets@ecomail.fr

Do not hesitate to share our project with those around you. See you soon 😊