After a long hot summer, after an uncertain autumn with little rain, with rare exceptions, a mild winter does not help our work.
Plants weakened by having received too much sun, it is true, not finding a harsh winter, are able to keep themselves alive and give part of the expected fruit.
But that certainly doesn't comfort us.
The absence of frost allows many parasites to survive in this climate and we will pay the bill hefty in spring and summer.
The drop in temperature and the continuing frost cause phenomena of “mild sterilization” of our fields, allowing us to plant or sow in soils that, as the temperature rises, are repopulated with good and bad microorganisms (for us and our crops) in balance with each other.
We will witness a slow and difficult spring awakening.
But this, as always, does not scare us.
Many peas are enduring these temperatures and as soon as the daylight hours get longer, they will find the strength to raise the leaves and grow. We are already moving forward with potatoes, we are fixing the protections for the first lettuces.
A lot of work is done on the hedges and on the banks of the ditches. Much of our wealth is there. This is where nature shelters many organisms that will help us keep parasites at bay.
This is why they are an integral part of our companies.
That's why we don't wonder how much they pay us to keep them in good condition.
We know how important they are to us. Maybe they're very important to a lot of other people, too. In fact, they told us that they are really important!
They conserve migratory and resident fauna, reduce the flow of rainwater in times of emergency, avoid repeated restoration of banks by remediation consortia, and beautify our land for tourists.
In short, it seems that they are more useful for others than for us. That's why we don't wonder how much they pay us to keep them in good condition. By now we're used to it.
