In Corrèze, Vivien Letourneur breeds Limousin cows.

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Henry AUSLOOS / SIPA

  • A Gironde start-up offers farmers in all sectors general software to save time in managing their farms.

  • Its Ekylibre software was chosen by 5,000 professionals, including a cow breeder in Limousin, who demonstrates the value of this tool.

  • An agreement was signed with the chambers of agriculture and should further improve the system, while offering it to more farmers.

“Farming is a very diversified profession, you have to know about agronomy, fertilizers, but also animal genealogy, diseases, etc.

comments Vivien Letourneur, 32, who has been managing an experimental Limousin cow farm for a year in Corrèze.

And if we don't want to take decisions on the fly, we need data, and that's what is interesting with Ekylibre ”.

Ekylibre is a company based in Bègles near Bordeaux which, since 2015, has been offering a management tool (stocks, purchases, accounting, etc.) to farmers, with the promise of making their lives easier.

"Our software will limit the re-entry of information: entered once, the data will be reflected in all the bricks of the software where it is of interest," points out Karine Cailleaux, director of operations at Ekylibre.

This avoids having multiple software for these different tasks.

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5,000 users

The generalist management tool applies to all types of agriculture and to farms of all sizes.

For viticulture, subject to special regulations, the company has created a variation of its tool, called Ekyviti.

Today the company has 24 employees and has convinced 5,000 farmers to use its software, mainly in France, but also in Portugal and Spain, against a subscription of 29.90 euros per month, without commitment.

"What is practical with Ekylibre is that I can record all the interventions on the machines, this allows to have a history of maintenance easy to consult for our board of directors, in the event of a request for renewal of equipment, for example, ”points out Vivien Letourneur.

In his experimental farm, he will also be able to obtain health data on the different progenies, by spotting recurrent ailments for a particular line of heifers.

Data that he will be able to use in the long term in terms of research.

"We no longer have the notebook that falls from the tractor"

The software must be useful to all operators, if only because it allows their practices to be recorded in order to comply with the regulations and for those who are eligible, to claim CAP aid for example.

Ekylibre provides training adapted to the activity and daily monitoring by chat or phone with its users.

“The team is nice and works in a collaborative spirit, appreciates Vivien Letourneur.

When we bring something up, it takes it into account ”.

The 30-year-old sees a practical interest in it: "With this application, we no longer have the notebook falling from the tractor and this allows us to collect the data and make use of it".

And in a sector where the margins are fine, it is also according to him a pledge of good management allowing to generate a profitability.

“When you have a very precise vision of what's going on in your business, you can make the right decisions,” says Karine Cailleaux.

As part of an agreement, Ekylibre is at the dawn of an important development.

It will interconnect its tool with that of the chambers of agriculture called “my plots” and used by 40,000 customers.

“It would be the first such comprehensive tool for management.

We can imagine exponential marketing, rejoices Karine Cailleaux.

There is more and more management to do in relation to the regulations which evolve very quickly.

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