I am involved in the life ofthe Chèvre Rit farmWoofing experience

I want to take part in the life of the Chèvre Rit farm

Thanks to the WWOOF France network, you’ll become a fully-fledged member of the dairy and goat educational farm, discovering all the facets of life as a farmer in the Granville Terre et Mer region.

With Céline

Céline Métayer - Associate farmer at Ferme de la Chèvre Rit

Contact

Ferme de la Chèvre Rit lachevrerit@gmail.com 02 33 61 99 37

Registration

Registration via the wwoof.fr website A €5 membership fee will be required. Application for woofing to be made afterwards on the host form “Collective project: organic goat breeding, garden and educational farm” No more than 2 woofers possible at the same time.

Duration

2 weeks minimum – help requested mainly in the mornings but may change according to needs and periods. No woofing between 25 December and 1 January.

Meeting place

Ferme de la Chèvre Rit La Basle 50400 GRANVILLE

Information

WWOOF is a cultural and educational programme focusing on sustainable peasant farming. Volunteers, or “WWOOFers”, share the daily life of their host and learn about peasant farming and sustainable practices by spending about half of each day helping out on the farm. The hosts provide accommodation and meals for the volunteers, with no exchange of money between the hosts and the WWOOFers.

A welcome at

agriculture

organic and rural

Following your woofing request, you arrive at the heart of the Ferme de la Chèvre Rit, located in the bocage, a few kilometres from Granville, where Céline welcomes you. Along with her partner Alex, Manon and Emmanuel, she is one of the partners in this educational farm where they live with their families. Their day-to-day activities include goat rearing, cheese processing and direct sales, crop cultivation, agroforestry, market gardening and educational gardening, as well as environmental and agricultural education for a wide range of visitors. Céline, who has been trained as an educationalist and is in charge of the farm’s educational activities for schools and the general public, explains the farm’s philosophy, which is to be as self-sufficient as possible. She will also explain the various tasks that you will be given, all under the guidance of the farmers, all of whom are multi-skilled, even if they have their own references.

You manufacture

goat's milk cheeses

One of the members of the collective will show you the schedule of tasks, as well as the ‘menus’ drawn up for the different animals, a sort of memo so you don’t forget anything! During your woofing period, one week will be devoted to the cheese dairy, where you’ll learn all the secrets of goat cheese production, which runs all year round, as the goats on the farm are long-lactation animals. The cheese-makers, Manon and Fanny, will explain the various stages, from draining and salting to maturing. As well as passing on the know-how, these stages awaken your senses, especially if you’re a fan of goat’s cheese: the milky aromas, the herbs and the ash delicately placed on the cheeses… The cheeses will then be sold in the shop or at the market.

You take care

farm animals

The other major part of your adventure as a woofer involves caring for the farm animals: there’s the herd of goats, of course, with hay to provide, milking, not forgetting bottle-feeding for the kids in the spring. By taking the time to give a few pats on the cheeks to fur balls such as rabbits, or feathered ones, you’re making sure they don’t lack for anything, while learning about their way of life and what they bring to the farm. The curious bleating of the goats, the quacking of the hens, the attentive silence of the rabbits: each animal is waiting for you. Feeding, observing, stroking, cleaning… These simple gestures take on their full meaning here.

You multiply

your skills!

Depending on your affinities and the length of your woofing, you can also be introduced to other tasks such as market gardening with Alex, because there’s a lot to do in the garden! You can even take part in construction work, or in setting up agroforestry with Manu. For a more artistic touch, you can take advantage of Céline’s skills to weave beautiful arches from living wicker, and learn basketry techniques too! Each member of the farm brings their skills and kindness to the table. Amongst all these tasks, you’ll be able to eat with the families on the farm, and you’ll also be able to help out with lunch, allowing you to share your experiences, as the hosts also learn from their woofers… Your free time is in the afternoon, when you can explore the Destination and enjoy other experiences.

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