Context
La Bergerie des Arches is a family farm run by Antoine and Elise Mabille. Always passionate about livestock farming, they developed a farm focused on sheep and fodder self-sufficiency, recently complemented by a herd of Parthenaise cows.
Antoine (an agronomist by training) and Elise (an architect) built their sheepfold in Ohey in 2020, and in 2022 launched “L’agneau de votre terroir”, a marketing company that now brings together 38 breeders whose objective is to rely on short supply chains (restaurants, butcher shops, individuals).
Solutions & Practices Implemented
To achieve these objectives, Antoine & Elise have already integrated several agroecological practices:
- Diversified crop rotation to produce most of the animals’ feed on-site.
- 137 ha of permanent pastures, alfalfa, rapeseed, mixed grain, spelt, winter barley, and corn (silage and grain).
- Use of grazed cover crops in agreement with other farmers.
- Wool utilization for thermal insulation and local textiles.
- Additionally, the team plans to install an on-site cutting workshop to optimize logistics and energy.
In short, Antoine & Elise are not short of ideas and projects. They contacted us in 2025 to support an ambitious planting project.
We therefore conducted a site visit in July, which resulted in not one, but two planting projects: the planting of over 1km of hedges and tree alignments, which we discuss in another project.
2 main objectives:
- Strengthen the ecological network by installing melliferous and nourishing hedges for birds.
- Create shade for the animal welfare of the sheep.
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1,467m of hedges at Antoine’sLearn more
And what does it look like on the ground?
February 13, 2025, is the big day. The planting team arrives to implement the linear stretch after having completed the tilling.
This tilling allows for a better establishment of the hedge.
A rainy planting = a happy planting. All that remains is to apply the mulch. Antoine is getting ready.
We look forward to seeing this beautiful project take root!
