OUR HERDS
OUR YOGURTS
OUR LIVESTOCK
Selected breeds ...
The Ferme de la Tremblaye has currently 150 dairy cows (Jersey and Prim Holstein) and 350 billy and nanny-goats (« Alpines Chamoisées » and « Murciana-Granadina »), that we have been breeding for more than 40 years in the most respectful and attentive to animal wellbeing way. Building on our livestock’s biodiversity allows us to produce all year round a rich milk, and maintain production of our outstanding farm made cheeses.
... and pampered animals
Our animals are outside, in pasture, as much as possible, in the shade of the apple trees planted as recommended by agroforestry. And when the weather does not permit, they still get green grass “inside”.
Their feed is exclusively GMO free.
Or cows’ wellbeing and health is monitored real time, through a sensor on one of their legs : it monitors their moves, their lives and the quality of their milk. The breeder can therefore adjust in real time the care and nutrition provided on an individual basis.
OUR COWS
The Jersey cow : an exceptional dairy cow
Petite and elegant, the Jersey cow is known for its rusticity, it’s character and it’s extraordinary capacity to transform its fiber intake into useful materials : A milk rich in minerals, protein and butterfat, but also vitamins, oligo elements and omega 3 & 6.
She is the perfect dairy cow for farm cheese production, even though she produces slightly less than her sister cows (20 à 25 liters/day, versus around 30 for the other breeds). We have currently 70 Jersey cows.
Cheese and yoghurt made from its milk have a distinct cremosity, an unctuous texture and a unique taste.
The Holstein : the dairy queen
Well known for its black and white coat, she fills a substantial part of the fields of France !
As the Jersey cow, she has a good productivity.
She is easy to raise, and produces a quality milk, even more so when pampered at the Ferme de la Tremblaye !
OUR GOATS
the Ferme de la Tremblaye goats
At the Ferme de la Tremblaye, two breeds of goats have been living together for a few years, with complementary qualitities :
-
The Murciana-Granadina is a sturdy little goat, from Spain, that is very resistant and, like the Jersey, produces an extremely rich milk.
-
The Alpine Chamoisée shows, like the Holstein cow, all the qualities of a good dairy producer, resistant and productive.
Note : If our goat livestock is 3 times larger than our cow livestock, it is also because a goat only produces 3 liters of milk a day on average !
THE AGRICULTURE OF LIFE
As the rich and prosper soil in the Rambouillet forest that has inspired us, our soil is left alone (no ploughing, just direct sowing) and is continuously covered naturally, so as to avoid erosion while preserving our ecosystem and reducing our carbon footprint.
We grow a multitude of forages, ancient cereals and legumes in crop rotation , in order to avoid soil depletion, using no pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers.
The selection of crops is carried out in accordance with a plant science offering the soils what they need, while protecting crops according to the principle of companion plants.
THE AGRICULTURE OF LIFE
As the rich and prosper soil in the Rambouillet forest that has inspired us, our soil is left alone (no ploughing, just direct sowing) and is continuously covered naturally, so as to avoid erosion while preserving our ecosystem and reducing our carbon footprint.
We grow a multitude of forages, ancient cereals and legumes in crop rotation , in order to avoid soil depletion, using no pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers.
The selection of crops is carried out in accordance with a plant science offering the soils what they need, while protecting crops according to the principle of companion plants.
BREEDING AND AGROECOLOGY
A virtuous agricultural model cannot overlook animal wellbeing and respect in order, therefore, in order to limit diseases, we select cow and goat breeds that are more resistant to infections. We also use preventively homeopathy and essential oils.
Fed exclusively on fodder and cereals, or on pasture during Summer, our animals produces a high quality milk. Its breed diversity (Jersey, Prim Holstein, for our 150 cows, Alpines Chamoisées or Murciana Granadina for our 350 goats) helps compensate the variations in levels of butterfat or protein linked to this feed.
The breeder’s job requires constant attention and follow-up : work every day as close as possible to the herd, in the respect of its nature and natural cycles (goats, for example, produce milk from February to December), with for reward the assurance of supplying the cheese makers on our farm with milk that is both healthy and rich.
BIODIVERSITY
Agroecology focuses also on the complementarity of the ecosystems at the center of an agriculture that is both productive and respecting nature. It translates for us into the re-creation of an environment encouraging plant and animal biodiversity :
-
We replant hedges in order to accommodate the growing auxiliaries (birds, insects, and small animals).
-
We plant sturdy apple trees in order to provide shade to our cows, to let bees forage, to avoid soil erosion and to beautify the landscape.
-
To promote pollination, we host two hundred beehives, which produce tge honey used in our yogurt.
The biomass recreated by the roots also makes it possible to degrade the pollutants present in the soil. The one produced by the fall of the leaves, branches and fruit nourishes the earth and promotes the activity of insects that enrich and aerate the soil.
This mode of culture is inspired by the 280 ha of forests that belong to the Ferme de la Tremblaye ! in order to preserve its perenniality, a PEFC certified sustainable management plan has been implemented : tree cutting and planting alternate To maintain the natural shelter of wild animals. Natural ponds are preserved to allow the maintenance of their ecosystem (batrachians, wild animals, migratory birds).