Catalogue of Infrastructures and Facilities

This facility is meant to house ewes for lambing. The building has a central area meant for feeding the animals, and on each side there are modular pens. Animals are housed on accumulated straw litter.

Facility

Max

Facility

Crevette

This facility is meant for finishing lambs housing. The building has a central area meant for feeding the animals, and on each side there are modular pens. Animals are housed on accumulated straw litter.

Facility

Holding Pen

This facility is a 650 m² holding pen that is used for several interventions on the animals, such as shearing, weighing, and health interventions. Animals enter from one side and are parked in a waiting area. Then they can be sorted and directed in different ways to the devices needed for the planned intervention.

Facility

Pasture

Mainly grouped around the building, this facility is composed of 42% of permanent meadow and 58% of temporary meadow. Most of it is grazed by the animals, and a progressive automation of the water troughs is ongoing.

Infrastructure

Le Mourier

Located 25 km south of Limoges (Haute-Vienne, France), the site covers 95 ha, all grassland, half of which is permanent meadow. 700 ewes are raised on the farm; half of them are of the Mouton Vendéen breed, and the other half are of the F1 type (Ile de France crossed with the Romanov breed). The farm is equipped with a 2500 m² sheepfold and a 650 m² holding pen combined with a shearing room. France's first ovine Digiferme® (since 2017), Le Mourier is developing precision breeding to help sheep farmers improve their working conditions and income, as well as flock performance. Thus, the coordinated use of automation to relieve breeders of physical tasks, sensors to measure parameters on the animals, and satellite images to analyse grass stocks are digital innovations implemented and tested on the DIGIFERME® of Le Mourier. Here are just a few examples of the technologies tested: - Ultra-high-frequency loops for reading animal movements in the herd. - Connected self-weighing scales for live monitoring of animal performance and health. - 3D imaging prototypes to assess the body condition of ewes and lambs. - Virtual fences to geolocate and guide animals in grazing areas. The Mourier experimental farm is also the headquarters of CIIRPO (Interregional Centre for Information and Research on Ovine Production). A true network for research and demonstration in the sheep breeding sector, it brings together 70 member structures, including experimental sites, agricultural high school farms, producers' organisations, chambers of agriculture, sheep unions, health protection groups, etc.

Facility

Mobility tracks

The Off-road vehicle and robot mobility tracks in Allier (France) feature advanced testing infrastructure developed by INRAE-TSCF-AGROTECHNOPÔLE for mobile machines and vehicles. The facility offers numerous accessories, including obstacles like mannequins and natural or artificial hedges. The cross-shaped track allows testing from various cardinal points and orientations relative to the sun. Additionally, the inclined profiles enable testing of agricultural machinery on different slope gradients. The facility supports the comprehensive evaluation and advancement of mobile equipment in diverse conditions, ensuring thorough performance assessment and development.

Facility

Experimental plots - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The experimental plots for alternative weed control consist of a 4-hectare field, with additional areas available. Depending on the experimental needs, the site is equipped with advanced technology for data capture of soil and plants, an electric power supply using an electric generator for the computer units and charging for electric weeding solutions, as well as remote monitoring of crops and the environment via wireless sensors and a field meteorological station. This supports research on crops like maize and beans and weeds such as ryegrass, mustard, lamb’s quarter, and Matricaria chamomile. The site includes manoeuvring zones and buffer spaces between plots to allow machines or robots to move freely. INRAE-TSCF-AgroTechnoPôle ensures experiments' maintenance, protection, and organisation, offering an ideal environment for field trials and technology testing.

Facility

Machine-Soil interaction - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The experimental plots to study machine-soil interaction offer advanced tools to study machine-soil interactions. The MONROE system measures the efficiency of agricultural tires and machines, assessing traction and soil compaction under various conditions, including tire type, pressure, and soil characteristics. It uses constant torque and traction force methods alongside additional measurements of effort, torque, angular velocity, and actual speed. The SoilXplorer tool provides electromagnetic response maps of soil, based on texture and moisture levels. Additionally, the facility features a FARO Focus 3D X130 laser scanner for precise 3D mapping of tire tracks and soil impressions.

Facility

CEMIB bench - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The CEMIB rotating test bench, patented by INRAE, is a high-performance device for measuring the distribution of granular products (fertilisers). It enables quick, reliable, and cost-effective evaluation of spreading patterns. CEMIB scans the spread pattern, angular sector by angular sector, using around 90 sensors recorded at 10 Hz by a synchronous system. It provides precise, disturbance-free measurements of fertiliser distribution in grams/m² and reliable data on projection range and angles. The setup includes a rotating carrier for the spreader and a "sensitive" part with 50x50 cm trays and highly accurate weight sensors (0.02 grams), ensuring continuous, accurate assessments.

Facility

CEMOB bench - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The CEMOB Bench is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of spreading processes by optimising both machines and products, such as granules and compost. The CEMOB research bench accurately measures and characterises spreader sheets using traditional transverse measurement methods. The 3D measurements enable detailed analysis of spreading performance, including mapping ground distribution and assessing homogeneity. CEMOB also allows the evaluation of a product’s suitability for wide-area spreading and the impact of optimised spreading devices.

Infrastructure

Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle