BKT tires are vital to assist Adrien Lorieu, the owner of the farm L’Orée des Bois, in his job. Every day, the young farmer is dedicated to the pursuit of a 100%-sustainable livestock farming model, in which respecting animal welfare and balanced land exploitation have become a true way of life.
An exciting new life project. This is the spark that fuels the days of the young French farmer Adrien Lorieu, the owner of the livestock farm in Saint-Martin-Des-Noyers, Vendée. At the core of his life change is the well-being of the animals he raises, as well as the respect for the estate’s crops. Thanks to partners like BKT, the latter are treated properly in order to yield forage of excellent quality. The simple and sustainable circular approach of the farming activities is a unique example. BKT has chosen to include the farm among its Stories right because of the exceptional nature of their underlying values. Here is the story:
The farm L’Orée des Bois farm is located in Vendée, in the south of the Pays de la Loire region, in an area that is renowned for its landscapes and rich agricultural heritage. Here, Adrien and his family raise pork, poultry, and Angus beef cows, which they exclusively distribute through nearby butcher shops and restaurants to ensure products that are of prime quality, traceable, zero-mile. Thus, there is no direct sale on the farm.
Nothing new so far, except for the fact that pigs are raised on straw, poultry in the fields and cows are kept outdoors. This is actually one of the rare examples of non-industrial farming, where one of the cornerstone principles is to raise animals naturally, according to their needs, without any additives. The pigs, for example, have 50 square meters of free space for their own.
In addition to breeding – as fodder for the animals on the farm – wheat, barley, and sunflower seeds are grown and then mixed by means of computerized technology as to the specific needs of the different types of animals. So, for example, chicks are given a specific food, that is different from that for piglets or adult chickens, and so forth – with the utmost respect for their natural life.
And always in line with the principles of sustainability that are behind all activities of L’Orée des Bois, non-till farming methods are adopted on the farm, i.e., no soil tillage deeper than 40 cm in order to not disturb the soil’s life cycle, maintaining its organic structure and fertility.
Precisely with the aim of preserving the quality of the agro-ecosystem present on their property, Adrien has chosen BKT tires to equip their agricultural vehicles – tractors and tippers of over 20t – for the past 6 years, since they are particularly apt due to their exceptional features.
“As machinery is getting heavier and heavier, we need tires that help us not to ruin the land,” Adrien says. “BKT tires fit the best thanks to their special flotation properties and because we can be fast and well-performing when moving from the fields to the road. We are also supported with excellent traction, one of the most encountered difficulties in our job, for the very heavy loads we have to carry every day.”
A new tractor will soon arrive on Adrien’s farm; its front axle it will be fitted with AGRIMAX V-FLECTO, a tire that can carry heavy loads at a lower inflation pressure than standard and IF tires, reaching high speeds; while the rear axle will be fitted with AGRIMAX FORCE, BKT’s flagship product that is specifically designed for tillage, transport and harvesting applications with high-power tractors and harvesters. Thanks to the IF technology, this tire is able to carry heavy loads at a lower inflation pressure than a standard tire, thus reducing soil compaction.
The two three-axle trailers have already been fitted with RIDEMAX FL 693 M for six years, the ideal tire for frequent travel on road sections with trailers and tankers.
Sustainable breeding and farming? This is a practical example: simple, but more importantly, feasible.
The secret? A clear plan, unwavering faith in nature and – now more than ever – relying on the right technology. These distinctive aspects are the founding values of companies like BKT, which has always been attentive to customer benefits. The company, a leader in the Off-Highway tire industry, can provide a variety of high-performance products to support hard-working farmers, who, like Adrien, turn the efforts in the fields into a life project – for themselves and for the community to which they belong.
Here is the exclusive chapter of the BKT Stories series dedicated to the L’Orée des Bois farm:
https://www.bkt-network.com/bkt-stories/bkt-meets-la-ferme-de-loree-des-bois
