Ep. 67 Sharing Seed Research with Farmers - Fanny Lebrun, Les Marequiers
About this episode
Fanny Lebrun discusses her journey in the seed industry and the challenges of scaling a seed business while bridging the gap between research and practical farming.
Fanny Lebrun is the driving force behind Les Marequiers, a Belgian non-profit dedicated to regional food autonomy. Through their flagship program, Semences d'Ici (which translates to Seeds from Here), Fanny works to strengthen the local organic seed sector. Prior to that, Fanny started the seed company Cycle en Terre by herself then built it into a citizen-owned seed cooperative. In this episode, Fanny shares the logistics and challenges of scaling a seed business from a one-person operation to a ten-person team. We discuss Fanny's transition into Les Marequiers and how she is trying to bridge the information gap from academic research to the practical realities of the farm. We also talk about the organic disease and pest management guide she has recently written. In the deep dive, Fanny and I talk about growing carrots for seed. We get into the difficulties of growing seed carrots in humid, short-season climates, covering overwintering roots in a simple cellar and how to balance the harvest of primary and secondary umbels. Enjoy the conversation! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 Episode links Les…
People in this episode
Host: Dan Brisebois
Guest: Fanny Lebrun
Topics covered
- seed research
- organic farming
- food autonomy
- seed business
- disease management
- carrot cultivation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Les Marequiers, Cycle en Terre, French organic disease and pest management guide
Places: Belgium
More episodes of The Seed Farmer Podcast
- Ep. 75 More Words of Advice for Seed People
- Ep. 74 Are Your Seeds Ready to Harvest?
- Ep. 73 Collaborative Okra Breeding on the Seed Heads Podcast
- Ep. 72 Capturing the Perfect Shot for Your Seed Store
- Ep. 71 Eggplants and The Virtue of Patience: Chris Sanford, Yonder Hill Farm
- Ep. 70 What to Do with Your Crossed-Up Plants
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