Always one step ahead
After completing his degree in agricultural engineering, Julien Doussineau initially spent twelve years working in banking before taking over the family farm in the Eure-et-Loir department (France). He is a farmer in the fifth-generation. Today, he farms 600 hectares within a 4-kilometre radius of the farm.
Four people work on the farm: Julien Doussineau (farm manager), Clément (head of arable farming), an agricultural worker, and Florian, also an agricultural worker and a trained bricklayer. Julien, who also is a member of the local council and is often away, relies on a farm organisation in which versatility and personal responsibility are essential.
His management philosophy is clear: “It’s like a rugby team: you need different personalities, characters and skills to win. We’re all in the same boat, and with our shared commitment we can create personal additional value.” With this in mind, and to rally the whole team behind the common objective of profitability and avoid costly mistakes during the season, the farm works with a profit-sharing scheme.
Added value due to diversification
Diversification is a key component of the farm’s strategy. The majority of the cereals (60 to 80 ha/year) is stored under contracts for seed propagation. This requires clear separation of batches, traceability and strict protocols. Julien primarily focuses on the propagation of G1-class seed (wheat, winter and spring barley) including high requirements on varietal purity.
Speciality crops are also grown: 50 ha of table potatoes and a further 50 ha of round-grain maize which is used as feed for pigeons in Belgium and England. In total, around 1,800 t of cereals pass through the farm’s silo each year.
Acting with foresight to secure sales markets
For table potatoes, Julien has aligned the farm’s quality policy with the GlobalG.A.P. certification. His farm is also GRASP (GLOBALGAP Risk Assessment on Social Practices) certified. This covers various aspects of staff welfare which are ensured by annual audits and additional controls by major retail chains.
For the past two years, the company has also been committed to reducing its CO₂ emissions. For Julien, this is only logical: “Based on the experience with these certifications, CO₂ reduction is just a small step from there.” This approach also brings added value in certain contracts: “I sell durum wheat to Unilever. This allows for securing a better price.” But above all, Julien always wants to stay one step ahead.
Recruitment based on personality
According to Julien, there has been a noticeable shift in the agricultural sector, making it harder to recruit staff: “It’s no longer just about driving a tractor. You have to calculate and plan, adapt and think for yourself.” He expects his staff to take a proactive approach: they have to spot anomalies, offer advice and suggest solutions.
This is why he places more emphasis on personality than on agricultural experience. “You can’t change people, but you can teach them things.” Hiring staff from outside the agricultural sector is possible, but time-consuming: “The person has to stay long enough for the training to pay off.” However, the time involved is shared among all members of the farm: “If everyone on the farm is motivated and pulls together, then the onboarding of a new employee, regardless of the skill level, is carried out by the whole team and not just the farm manager.”
The farm regularly funds training courses: instruction in tractor operation (with the sales partner), health and safety (SST), Certiphyto (certificate for anyone handling plant protection products in any form), welding, B96 driving licence (to tow a 3.5-tonne trailer) … Every year, Julien discusses the requirements with the staff. He believes it is more cost-effective to focus on an employee’s personality than on someone who, while possessing the necessary skills, is unable to adapt to the company culture.
Staff retention
Julien sets high standards. However, he also offers his staff the benefits to match: an office, a canteen, accommodation for seasonal workers, state-of-the-art equipment, company cars and the option to customise their holidays to their personal needs. “I demand a lot. That’s why my staff have everything they need. They have to feel comfortable, both physically and mentally.”
Team spirit is also fostered in everyday life: a weekly meal together at the local pub, professional excursions, and visits to manufacturers. One-to-one meetings with the staff follow set procedures and have clear objectives. The farm operates on a principle of continuous improvement with a lean structure: every team member can suggest specific solutions (organisation, safety, ergonomics). Examples of this include: the purchase of a hydraulic press to avoid trips back and forth to the neighbour’s premises, the development of a tool for faster tyre changes, or an approved mounting bracket for telescopic handlers to lift big bags safely. “I believe we all have good ideas that can make our work easier and improve our productivity. Everyone has a say, and the most important thing is that everyone’s opinion is respected afterwards so that everyone feels heard.”
Another important point: Julien involves the team in investment decisions. “First, I look at the options on my own, then I bring them on board. They use the machine for most of the year, so they have to have a say – that’s perfectly normal! Besides, someone who chooses their own equipment can’t criticise it afterwards. What’s more, new and modern equipment motivates the team.”
Leeb VT: lower risk of downtimes
The sprayer, too, was chosen together with Clément who, alongside Julien, is the main driver. The HORSCH Leeb VT is the centrepiece of the farm. It is used for around 500 hours a year which corresponds to an area of 5,000 hectares per year. “The time windows can be short. We want high-performance machines that are always ready for action. A breakdown at the wrong time can be more expensive than buying a new one.”
There is a very specific reason for purchasing the HORSCH Leeb VT: after a sprayer from another brand tilted over at the edge of the field, Julien turned to the sales partner Duret. His requirement: greater stability and safety while working. He also views the investment in a new machine from an economic point of view: a heavily used sprayer with a target service life of five to seven years which is still relatively ‘new’ in terms of operating hours and modern in terms of equipment, can be resold easily. This avoids the costly maintenance phase.
For Julien, this approach applies to all his farm equipment: storage, cable reels, drilling rigs, buildings. “We don’t leave anything unrepaired, not even a light bulb on the tractor.” The aim: to ensure a safe working environment and maintain a level of performance that can keep pace with the demands.
What matters most to Julien when it comes to the Leeb VT is: modernisation is only worthwhile if it improves performance. “Increasing comfort without boosting productivity is a no-go. That would be nothing more than a cosmetic fix!” Specifically, automation (GPS, boom control systems such as BoomControl, and streamlined workflows) aims to reduce mental strain and minimise errors. Hence: “With the Leeb VT, you no longer have to press three buttons to unfold the boom, but just one. With BoomControl, you can also simply let the boom do its job and follow the unevenness of the terrain. These may just be details, but overall we gain significantly in productivity and professionalism. The objective is that the user no longer simply drives the sprayer. With all these aids, he is more relaxed and can concentrate on the machine behind him, the application quality and the settings.”
Florian’s story
Florian joined the farm two years ago, and his story shows just how rewarding it can be to explore new approaches to recruitment.
Julien explains: “Hiring someone who doesn’t have a farming background is a real opportunity to broaden our way of thinking. He sees our routines from a different angle and often spots areas for improvement that we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. Moreover, hiring staff from outside the sector brings new skills to the farm. Florian, a qualified bricklayer and roofer, passed on his expertise to the other staff. This means we can carry out renovation work on the farm during the off-season. So I wouldn’t mind hiring a qualified mechanic to train him in farming. That would make me more self-sufficient in mechanical matters and reduce the costs of machine downtime by better preventing the problems that come with ageing machinery.”
Florian gave up his career as a bricklayer and roofer for health reasons. As he had no prior experience of farming, he approached the job with an open mind: “I learnt everything on the job. I’d already driven larger machines, so tractors didn’t faze me.” He fitted perfectly into the team. Hard-working and, above all, keen to learn and share ideas, he was soon working independently in stubble cultivation and tillage. “Right from the start, the team looked after me brilliantly. My colleagues informed me about potential hazards and taught me working methods that helped me avoid costly mistakes. You’re held just as accountable as the long-time staff.” Florian praises the welcome he received, the support provided and the learning progress achieved through repetition, always backed up by a dedicated contact person (Clément). He appreciates the variety of tasks, the atmosphere and the work-life balance as well as the annual progress-focused reviews. He feels very comfortable in his new working environment: “For people like me who don’t come from the sector, there’s a real sense of security in finding a job that bridges the old and the new profession – that helps you take the plunge.”
Efficiency, team spirit and productivity
Between certifications, CO₂ reduction, seed chains, storage, irrigation and preventive maintenance, Julien Doussineau’s farm works like an ecosystem: acting with foresight, ensuring operational safety and adhering to the timeframes for measures. In this context, the HORSCH Leeb VT is not merely a means to an end, but a tool for security and professionalisation: it ensures reliability, makes work easier, is quickly ready for use and reduces risks when it matters most.
And behind the technology, in Julien’s opinion, is consistent management: allocating resources, involving the team, training, listening, but at the same time maintaining high standards. “I set out the game plan and the goal. I rely on them to give their all every season and win the game!”