"I did not know that my farm was virtuous", assures Pierre Lhopiteau, farmer, in front of the crowd who came to visit his structure, Monday, October 25, in Éole-en-Beauce (Eure-et-Loir).
Among the guests, Barbara Pompili, Minister of Ecological Transition.
She listens attentively to the professional.
The farmer, who took over the family farm in 1993, is the sixth generation to work on the premises.
And he has much to be proud of: his farm has recently been awarded the low carbon label.
With the actions he has put in place, Pierre Lhopiteau has avoided the equivalent of 180 Paris-New-York round trips, according to the diagnostic assessment carried out on his farm.
“We have made this virtuous development thanks to renewable energies.
We have evolved with common sense, according to our means.
"
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On his conventional 275 ha farm, the man cultivates a bit of everything: soft wheat, durum wheat, barley, corn, peas, field beans, lentils, rapeseed, potatoes ... Passing from one workshop to another, followed by the whole crowd, including Christiane Lambert, president of the FNSEA agricultural union, Pierre Lhopiteau takes pleasure in explaining the steps he is taking, with his family, to adapt his practices to global warming and the preservation of biodiversity: “We invested one million euros in photovoltaics 10 years ago, ”he explains.
“350,000 euros for the building and 650,000 for the panels.
"
No potash or phosphate fertilizer for 20 years
All this allows the professional to maintain the farmhouse as well as its storage spaces.
This first investment boosted the rest: “We reinvested the profits to improve the company.
It made it possible to test new crops and make environmental measurements in the plain.
"
Four years ago, he spent another million euros in a 15,000 m2 composting platform.
“It's important to have a natural product and to work in a short circuit.
The manager has not used potash or phosphate fertilizer for 20 years.
And with his own brand, he now supplies compost to industry professionals and individuals.
“We have become more professional, with equipment such as a crusher, a turner.
"
An initiative greeted by Barbara Pompili.
In France, agriculture is one of the five sectors emitting the most CO2.
"The objective is to decarbonize the sector to make it a major lever in the fight against global warming", relaunches the Minister.
“What we give to nature, it gives back to us.
Some try to oppose agriculture and the environment.
I want to dismantle this received idea, ”she hammered.
Soon a wood-fired boiler to dry the corn
Other techniques to sequester carbon are used by the farmer and his colleagues, such as crop rotation, including intermediate and energy crops.
Double advantage: they allow, between two main crops, not to leave the soil bare but also to produce biomass.
“I am delighted and honored with this ministerial visit,” says the operator, “it highlights what we are doing in the shadows.
With his long or very long term investments, Pierre Lhopiteau is keen to pass on what he has continued to build to future generations.
“It was natural to do everything I did.
The farmer also plans to plant up to 4 km of hedges, beneficial for lowering his carbon footprint, and wants to invest in a wood-fired boiler in order to dry his corn, among other things, so as to no longer use gas or fuel oil. .
