Hedges and poplars in Maulde

The Context

In Maulde, Cédric Huart is a farmer who took over the family farm 8 years ago.
On a surface of 44 hectares, he currently cultivates cereals, potatoes, peas, corn, and chicory, in rotation.

Committed to a thorough reflection on the quality of his soils, Cédric is initiating a transition towards direct seeding under cover crops, with the aim of improving soil structure, fertility, and resilience to climatic hazards.

In this continuity, he now wishes to reintroduce trees into fields, convinced of the key role of trees in agricultural systems: crop protection, water regulation, biodiversity, and landscape.

The site visit

A site visit was carried out in January 2026 by PlantC, to analyze the site and identify the most relevant development levers.

This visit allowed us to:

• Understand Cédric’s agricultural vision and the practices implemented.
• Observe the crop rotations and cover crops in place.
• Analyze the pedological conditions (silty soils, structure, drainage)
• Identify runoff axes, wind exposure, and existing ecological continuities,
• Locate the most suitable areas for planting hedges and intra-parcel trees.

Initial project orientations

The initial discussions confirmed the interest in developing a project combining:

• Agricultural hedges to protect crops from wind and limit water runoff from roads
• Poplar alignments consistent with farming practices,
• A strengthening of the local ecological network, favorable to wildlife (hares, deer, avifauna
• Landscape integration in phase with the open character of the territory.

The entire project is designed to be compatible with direct seeding practices, cover crops, and the future evolution of the cropping system.

Productive and living agriculture

This project in Maulde illustrates an agricultural trajectory focused on the long term, where production, soil, trees, and biodiversity are conceived as a coherent system.

At PlantC, we support these initiatives by starting from the field, existing practices, and the farmer’s vision, to co-construct useful, realistic, and sustainable developments.