PAO Facilities Crop & Livestock Support Team

Crop & Livestock Support Team

This agricultural operation is characterized by a structured organization of land, production, and equipment, serving both production and experimental goals. The site plays a central role in conducting real-world trials, crop monitoring, and providing technical support to the unit's livestock facilities. It also contributes to the dissemination and transfer of results to industry professionals. As such, the farm serves as a technical, educational, and experimental hub at the regional level.

Facilities and Equipment

The agricultural estate spans a cohesive set of land and production types:

  • 250 ha of field crops
  • 90 ha of grazing land
  • 50 ha dedicated to forage production
  • 110 ha of fragmented woodland
Fenaison

The soils are primarily silty-clay (capping) soils, with 95% of the surface area being tile-drained. One-third of the acreage is irrigable via a lagoon and an irrigation boom. The primary crop rotation consists of wheat, barley, and maize.

The site features a 5 ha trial platform dedicated to real-world agronomic experimentation, with experimental plots of 0.4 ha each. The farm also provides operational support to experimental facilities and livestock units: supplying straw, effluent management and removal, transport, civil engineering works, equipment maintenance, and the preparation of experimental feed. The estate is equipped with agricultural machinery for crop and forage management and trials, including :

  • A weather station for local climate monitoring with national data synchronization.
  • A maize dryer for post-harvest management.
  • A precision irrigation boom.
  • Specialized equipment for tillage and various technical field operations.

Traceability and Expertise :

Parcellaire
Exemple de plan parcellaire : les différentes couleurs représentent les types de plantations présentes sur chaque parcelle.

Crop, plot, and trial monitoring are based on a structured traceability system:

  • Use of GIS mapping software (via mesparcelles.fr).
  • Recording of cultural interventions at the individual plot level.
  • Monitoring of agronomic, economic, and environmental performance.
  • Dissemination of results through outreach actions, including a biennial technical day for industry professionals.

The farm develops expertise in agricultural production, experimentation, and knowledge transfer. It produces cereals, forage, and protein crops for experimental herds and serves as an educational resource for agricultural high schools. The site also acts as a demonstration plot for local farmers, particularly within the framework of GDA (Agricultural Development Groups).

Research and Experimental Themes :

  • Water Management and Climate Adaptation: Precision irrigation trials seeking to optimize inputs through soil mapping.
  • Varietal Improvement and Field Crop Systems: In collaboration with the Chamber of Agriculture: a varietal trial platform for wheat, barley, and maize (disease resistance, weeding strategies, and fungicide protection).
  • Camelina Cultivation: Varietal testing for aviation biofuel production, evaluating agronomic adaptation and yield potential.
  • Organic Farming and System Sustainability: Long-term studies on cereal-legume intercropping in extended organic rotations and agroforestry.
  • Biodiversity and Agroecology: * Collaboration with SEPANT for the planting of "messicole" (segetal) plants to preserve floral genetic diversity.

 

AMDORE

By: Vr Publication date: 23 January 2025 Modification date: 16 February 2026