Astrid Boeuf

My apprenticeship role is very varied. We have to be out in the fields, doing things like crop walks, while promoting Axereal’s products and services. There’s also an important admin side to the job, like monitoring plots in the Synchroo tool and fertiliser plans in the Wiuz tool, not to mention using decision-making tools like Farmstar (for the reasoned use of fertilisers).

Relationship building is the cornerstone of our role, and it’s also the part that I like best. When we’re on a crop walk, we chat with the farmer not only about the technical aspects, but also about the cooperative’s products and services.

Above all, we have to make sure we’re offering farmers what they need. We discuss a lot of different topics with them as we walk around the fields. That’s my opportunity to apply what I learn at university, to make it more concrete.

Cooperative members are interested in talking to young people, and we discuss a wide range of issues. They’re open to our questions and hearing about their experiences is beneficial to us for our future careers.

I can tell you already that my next article will be about the launch of the autumn campaign, which is a vital part of the sales cycle.

After a long period at university, I’ve spent the last three weeks in the fields and I’m back to tell you about it. At this time of year, our main focus is crop walks. We’re also starting on spring seeding.

The rain made things particularly difficult this autumn. Winter seeding was a real issue, but the other work required for the crops to grow successfully was difficult too. Early spring was quite wet, so it was hard to work in the fields. We had to be strategic about the advice we were giving, checking field by field what needed to be done.

During the spring, I learnt a lot of things that will be useful to me in my future career, about managing weeds and diseases in particular. I really enjoyed seeing how the crops progressed and the issues that arose with them. Given the weather challenges, being involved in monitoring the fields was very instructive.

I’ll be back very soon with another article, on my favourite part of my job. 

My apprenticeship continues with the “spring off season”, a time of year that gives farmers the ideal opportunity to think about their crop management approach. This is a vital stage in the year for technical sales executives, as their role is to help farmers consider how the season is going for them agronomically. The farmers and the Axereal TSE measure the success of the autumn sowing, to see how the coming months are likely to pan out. 

I’ve been meeting the farmers in my area, accompanied by my manager. Together, we look at the crop management techniques best suited to the farm and the farmer’s objectives, with agronomy and sustainability always top of mind. During the meeting, we work with the farmer to decide what they will be sowing in the spring (sunflower seed, maize, sorghum, flax, etc.) and to define the key stages that will guarantee the success of the autumn crop (wheat, winter barley, rapeseed, etc.). 

By the end, the farmer will have a guide for the crop season, and they will have had an opportunity to raise all their questions and needs. 

I’m happy to have had the opportunity to accompany my apprenticeship supervisor to these meetings, because I learn a great deal from the conversations with the farmers. I’ve both expanded and deepened my technical knowledge.

I’m kicking off my apprenticeship year by working on Wiuz, a decision-making tool. It’s used to create fertiliser plans. The farmers who have access to this service find it extremely useful. Within the tool, they can adjust the doses of nitrogen, potash, phosphorous, sulphur and trace elements they use, and plan their crop rotations. It helps them to optimise the yields and/or potential of their land. Its calculations are based on soil analyses from the plot, the results of previous harvests and fertiliser doses. This means that we need to be present alongside the farmers throughout the year, tracking plots, collecting the necessary information and, once the harvest is complete, looking at the results. This tool is increasingly useful given the climate challenges we’re currently facing, because it helps to optimise yields and make the most of all the opportunities available. I’m pleased to be able to offer farmers this tool during my visits, because it can be combined with the other decision-making tools that we offer such as Farmstar (fertiliser adjustment) and Phylia (decision-making tool for soft wheat, etc.). This improves accuracy for better results. The main way I’ve benefitted from this experience is that I’m able to work more independently. It’s been a very interesting project, packed with new information to learn. It’s helped me learn more about the sector that my team, my supervisor and I work in day to day.