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Testimonials and results

Testimonial
Eric and Nicolas Leclerc are goat and cereal farmers in France.
Eric et Nicolas Leclerc
Even the colour of the soil has changed
Goat and cereal farmers
2014
Aize
36150
Indre

Crop/Production

Eric and Nicolas Leclerc are goat and cereal farmers in the Indre region in France (SCEA de la Bagatelle).
Their farm is 184 hectares, with a herd of 200 dairy goats and cereal crops (sunflower, rapeseed, wheat, corn).
 

Product/Usage

  • Bactériosol concentré (since 2011) / To increase soil fertility naturally

Testimonial

Eric and his son Nicolas are goat farmers who love to talk about their experience. Having been using SOBAC process for over five years, they had an “Open day” at their farm in the spring of 2014 which attracted some 80 farmers. From economics to environment and agronomics, they showcased the effectiveness of the concept that had taken them on this journey.

Eric and his son Nicolas are goat farmers who love to talk about their experience. Having been using SOBAC process for over five years, they had an “Open day” at their farm in the spring of 2014 which attracted some 80 farmers. From economics to environment and agronomics, they showcased the effectiveness of the concept that had taken them on this journey.

 

Eric : "I first came across SOBAC on the web. A title from an article caught my attention. It was: "Marcel Mézy, reviving soil."  I called up the company and a sales rep quickly came to see me. We've been using the concept since 2009, starting with micro-plots. In the second year, I noticed that the earth was easier to work. Weeds had disappeared. 
This year we've had exceptional yields of barley, in the order of 85 quintals (8.5t) We have achieved food self-sufficiency.
We grow meslin and spelt for our goats.


Our main concern is to reduce our expenses. As our ground is now also easier to plough, we can use less-powerful machinery that reduces our diesel costs. It's all these aspects end-to-end that make all the difference. For example, we've halved the amount of herbicides used on our rapeseed, which is exceptional this year. 
Thank you Mr. Mézy for having invented this process. We believed in the concept but we kept wondering: "How far can we go with it? »

 

Today, we're very satisfied


Our yields haven't declined and we can reduce inputs even more. For barley, for example, we'll be able to do away with the main fungicide. 
Our corn stays green much longer. On these limey soils, Bactériosol is very effective. Ploughing is easier and all the work we do after that is simpler. With rapeseed, we noticed that we did not need micro-nutrients anymore – there's clearly something good happening in the soil. We're now saving €161 euros per hectare of wheat, €433 on corn, €185 on sunflower, and €46 on rapeseed. 

I can no longer support the use of chemicals".


For our livestock, we started using SOBAC to grow our own feed as soon as we bought the herd in September 2010. We consulted a nutritionist and I can now confirm that we're on the right track.

 

 

Our herd's fertility rate has increased from 80 to 95%


We're in an AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) region and many farmers have left because they weren't self-sufficient and couldn't survive the requirements. As for us, we've increased our herd from 110 to 200 goats. The milk inspector stopped coming when he realised that weren't dosing our goats with minerals every day. We only dose them three times a year now. 
If we hadn't known about SOBAC, we wouldn't be self-sufficient in animal feed.
Our vet costs have decreased, our goats are aging much better. As for the Chamber of Agriculture, they are not showing any interest in us. They say we're not doing things the right way... 


But with our wheat, analyses have shown that we have higher protein ratios, and better density than normal. 
We have a specific weight of 79 and protein ratio of 12 while the norm is typically 73 and 9. 
We've reduced the use of nitrogen in our farming practices to grow cereal and will keep doing so. 
By continually reducing our expenses, we're right on track in terms of CAP reforms. We're considering whether to keep doing what we're doing or to switch to Organic.


We're open to everything, and one thing is certain: we want to keep reducing fertilizers and phytos.
For the Open Day that we organized with SOBAC, we had dug two furrows, one using the SOBAC process and the other using NPK.

 

The difference in root development and soil porosity was amazing

 

Even the colour of the soil had changed...


Nicolas : "I did a general B.A. then signed up for an Advanced Technical Certificate in Agriculture. I didn't know anything about SOBAC, just wanted to find out about it, I had no preconceptions. In two years, I saw the soil structure change. The Chamber of Agriculture dropped us, but that was no problem, we can cope with that... I talk a lot about how we do things to people around me but some people have a lot of influence on them. Some people understand what we're saying, others don't. Young people, on the whole, are the most ready to make changes. They see the harmfulness of chemicals.  
 

Eric: "For our children and grandchildren, we can't go on like this. I can no longer advocate the use of chemicals. It's destroying everything. If we can do things differently – and we now know we can – we can win." 
 

Results

They use Bactériosol to apply a natural fertilisation.

  • They use Bactériosol to apply a natural fertilisation.
  • Soil is easier to work.
  • Expenses are reduced.
  • Better resistance to drought.
  • Yields and quality.
  • Better rooting.
  • Improved soil structure.