This little cow is the Breton black magpie, and the little farm is Roger and Nathalie's...
The smallest farm...
The smallest dairy farm in France is Roger's farm.
And Roger's farm is a great story...
Initially, he's a computer scientist. And on arrival, he's a happy farmer! As he said, "I chose reality rather than the virtual world".
It was a really successful conversion: "I'm simply living my dreams".
His dreams? He described them in an article published in Ouest-France: "I am not trying to earn money, but to live decently and freely. And, today, I do what I want".
Wanting to live as freely as possible, he had to, with his six cows and seven hectares, detach himself from any industrial circuit, and succeed in living in autarky. And that's what he does! He lives from his dairy products, sold on the local markets, and from what he produces himself... including electricity!
At the end of his training, he passed an exam in front of a jury which he astonished greatly by showing that it was possible to live with only three cows! So, you think... with six, that's a lot of room!
Obviously, the approach is surprising and interesting... so, if he doesn't go around the world, it's the world that comes to him from all over, visiting this very unusual farm, which he gladly opens to the public every day at milking time, between 5pm and about 7.30pm.
And the visitors leave, if they feel like it, with milk of course, cheese, cottage cheese, butter, caramel cream, caramel spread...
You can also go and say hello to him at the market in Quiberon, for example, on Saturday morning...
The smallest cow...
That cow is the Breton black magpie. It is said to be the origin of the Breton breeds. The coat is piebald black (no "e" to black!), that is to say spotted black and white.
It is as good for meat as for milk, with a high production in relation to its size. Its physical characteristics also mean that it is able to calve easily, without assistance.
A small, hardy cow, it is well adapted to the granite soils of Brittany, but also to wetlands, where it is used to keep meadows open without human or mechanical intervention.
Because of its ambivalence between milk and meat, its rusticity and its ability to calve without assistance, it is particularly appreciated on small farms which often sell directly. Roger's farm is a perfect example!
Like a big one, this little cow even has a Facebook page, that of her lovers!
Ferme de l'Abbaye Sainte-Anne-de-Kergonan
Plouharnel
Tél. : 06 86 14 59 76
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(free version) ***
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