4
This makes the two girls laugh and they taste delicious pancakes prepared by Louane accompanied by an inevitable farm cider.
Three new arrivals in less than two days are worth celebrating.
The rest of the herd is in the meadow, some cows are napping at the foot of the trees.
None are missing on Louane’s screen. Gwendal takes the opportunity to provide breeder advice to Louane.
Gwendal: “I suggest you divide your herd Louane from now on.
With seven cows you can quickly have a group effect that is difficult to control, especially in the context of your breeding where not all the cows are necessarily delighted to extend their stay in our beautiful Brittany.
In the stable, the compartmentalization in the stalls and the narrow corridor are a source of safety, the risk mainly lies outside.
Louane listens carefully to her companion's advice. She will take out part of the herd in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Gwendal: “Then you quickly see the character of each person. There will certainly be a leader who will emerge, it is she whose comments we will have to particularly monitor and be careful not to betray ourselves and reveal to them that they are not only filmed but also listened to and translated.
Gwendal leaves to tend her cows and the two girls anticipate the preparation of dinner then they go down to look for their cows in the meadow.
As the changing rooms are busy, to save time, Sarah and Alma are directed directly to the bathrooms, not for the shower but for changing, while Hilda, Anneliese and Abbie have returned to their stalls.
Nolwenn changes Sarah's diaper while Louane takes care of Alma's then the two cows are taken to the milking parlor where they will have to wait.
It's Hilda and Anneliese's turn to also be changed and brought to join Sarah and Alma in the milking parlour.
It is Nolwenn who changes Abbie and then directs her to the milking parlour.
The young Englishwoman undoubtedly has more of a notion of breeding than her friends because from the moment she enters the room she seems to understand the purpose of this room.
Equipped with a halter with a bit, she cannot protest except for unintelligible grunts.
Louane suddenly comes to help Nolwenn to bring him up the ramp and install him in the fifth box.
With the herd in place, the front zippers are lowered to release the udders and the milkers spring into action.
Production is good and stable for the four dairy cows, Abbie's stimulation begins without delay.
Once milking is complete, the cows return to their stall one by one for their bottle and their ration of chicken nuggets.
Louane and Nolwenn, their work completed, go to see Isla and Freja who are still sleeping.
The halters of the other cows have been removed and the two girls hear them exchanged between cows who wonder about the fact of having been changed in the bathrooms and not obviously in the changing rooms.
Even if they speak quickly and Louane does not understand everything, she hears Sarah logically indicate that it is possible that the changing rooms are occupied by the arrival of new girls.
This hypothesis immediately restarts discussions.
Nolwenn and Louane head back up to join Gwendal for dinner, leaving the computer running on the table to monitor when the two new cows wake up.
There is a good chance they will wake up this evening—and not too late, either—since they arrived earlier than the previous ones.
Sure enough, during dinner, Freja wakes up first, followed by Isla half an hour later.
Louane decides there is no rush and that they will finish their meal at a leisurely pace before going down to settle the two newcomers into their stalls.
Freja will be stabled next to Anneliese, opposite Abbie, while Isla will be placed in the stall right next to Abbie.
Nolwenn takes charge of unhitching Freja and leading her to her stall, and Louane does the same with Isla.
The other cows immediately start communicating with the newcomers, and there is a lively exchange of "chatter" just as the two young women head back up to the house for some herbal tea.
Nolwenn is returning to her apartment one last time tonight; she will be back tomorrow with her bed and the final boxes.
Lo?c has offered to help her by borrowing a friend's van.
On Sunday morning, Gwendal tends to his herd while Louane looks after hers.
Lo?c is at Nolwenn’s place, helping her move.
They need to be finished by lunchtime, when the four partners will eat together.
Nolwenn has ordered some delicious dishes from a local caterer, so there is no food preparation required—just reheating in the oven.
Louane has taken care of all the cows. For this morning, Isla and Freja have been spared the initial udder stimulation, though that process will begin this evening.
Following Gwendal’s advice, Louane has decided to let Sarah, Alma, Hilda, and Anneliese out into the pasture this morning.
The other three cows will take their turn this afternoon.
The four partners enjoy a hearty lunch, celebrating the arrival of the new cows and Nolwenn joining the farm.
Once lunch is over, everyone relaxes on the terrace with coffee, soaking up the sun.
Next, the women go to bring the cows in from the pasture and let the three new ones out in their turn. They are soon back.
Louane wants to discuss strategy and development and get everyone’s input.
Louane: "Starting tomorrow, Nolwenn will begin actively recruiting couples interested in our future calves. We’ll work together on the best way to approach the subject with them. For now, milk collection and sales are going very well. I’ve printed out the results for you. And Lo?c,
I’ve prepared an envelope with your share. I think that with seven cows, we’re starting to have a solid range of profiles for our future calf clients."
Lo?c: "What’s the target number of cows, and what’s the timeframe?"
Louane: "It’s hard to say right now; I think the number will depend on how I organize things and my capacity to manage the herd. I have Nolwenn’s help now, but it’s essential that she keeps her part-time job at the clinic. However,
milk collection—and especially meetings with new clients—takes up a lot of time. I don’t think it’s a good idea to add more partners, but we could switch Nolwenn’s status to that of an employee so she has more time to look after the cows—if that works for you, of course, Nolwenn."
Nolwenn: "I certainly find looking after our young cows more enjoyable. That said, Louane, you know Guéna?lle—our midwife colleague from the maternity ward—just as well as I do. I know that, last I heard, she hadn’t started a new job yet. She might be interested."
Gwendal: "The short brunette who is Kalvin's cousin?"
Louane: "Exactly, that's her."
Lo?c: "I know her too; her parents live in my village. She’s a nice girl, but I agree with Louane: we need to keep the number of people who know about our project to an absolute minimum. Here, it’s a registered milk collection operation, so there are no issues. Plus,
giving work to a Breton woman aligns with our philosophy, too."
Gwendal: "Reorganization approved. We’ll contact Guéna?lle tomorrow to see if she’s interested. If she is, we can go ahead with increasing the herd size."
Lo?c: "Speaking of which, I’ve got news from my Basque friend Bixente. He got in touch yesterday to say he should be able to deliver the first two cows to us—if their profiles suit us."
Louane: "And you’re only telling us this good news now? Quick, show us the profiles of these two candidates!"
Everyone gathers around Lo?c as he picks up his tablet and scrolls through some photos.
The first shows a beautiful young woman with long dark hair.
Lo?c explains that her name is June; she’s a 22-year-old American student.
The next photos show another young woman with medium-length light brown hair: Harper, 23, also an American student.
Lo?c: "Bixente handled their seasonal rental. They tick all the boxes—especially regarding personality, judging by Bixente’s exasperation (and he’s used to dealing with difficult clients). He can bring them over in a van from Biarritz next Friday, all being well."
There’s no long debate about whether the two Americans are the right fit; everyone agrees. Lo?c immediately messages Bixente to give the green light, then deletes the photos from his tablet.
With all four partners present, Louane takes the opportunity to pitch her idea of selling the calves via monthly installments, just as she had described to Nolwenn.
Gwendal finds the idea interesting, particularly the option of having different rates for native Bretons versus those who have adopted Brittany as their home.
Louane adds that since monthly payments would begin as soon as the cow is confirmed pregnant, this would generate cash flow sooner than waiting for the cow to give birth and the calf to be sold before collecting payments. Lo?c raises just one caveat.
Lo?c: "I know quite a few people who still carry a lot of cash—either because they’ve saved it up over time or because their line of work allows them to get paid in cash and generate undeclared revenue. We also need an option where a couple can pay in cash, and in that case, offer them a discount."
Everyone thinks the idea is sound. Regarding the price, Nolwenn suggests the range she estimated based on conversations overheard at the clinic.
The four partners quickly agree on the rates: 50,000 euros for a Breton couple, 75,000 euros for others.
A 20% deposit is required at conception—refundable if the cow fails to conceive—followed by a minimum monthly payment of 500 euros until the full amount is paid.
A 10% discount applies if the full amount is paid when the calf is born.
Louane: "Are you the one handling Bixente’s compensation, Lo?c?"
Lo?c: "I’m covering it out of my 20% share. Bixente is helping us because he shares our concerns about over-tourism, not for financial gain; he makes a good living from his own job."