He had already walked through the Agricultural Show once as an anonymous visitor. But, last weekend, Tony returned this time to the Paris salon “as a guest”, all expenses paid. “I took a lot of photos, a lot of meetings, interviews. There are even people who recognized me in the aisles,” laughs the young man from Loire-Atlantique. This astonishing change of status, Tony Rondeau, 21, owes it to obtaining the title Mister France agricole 2023. The competition, purely honorary, aims to “highlight agriculture” by promoting a “positive and smiling image of the profession”.
Elected by Internet users and by a jury, Tony had applied by sending a photo in which he posed with Suzette, a very cute heifer that he “bottle-fed” and that he “walks regularly in a halter”. “The results were revealed on the evening of the election of Miss France, remembers the breeder, based in Chauvé, south-west of Nantes. They called me at midnight to tell me that I had won. I was not excpecting that at all ! It is a satisfaction, of course. My entourage is also proud to see that people are talking about me. But that’s not going to change much in my habits. It is above all the opportunity to talk about my background. »
He will become his own boss
Tony Rondeau’s career is indeed rather original. Because unlike many young farmers, he did not grow up in the middle. “My mother is a caregiver, my father a mechanic. I really discovered agriculture during a discovery course in 9th grade and I loved it. Playing consoles, spending time in town, that was never my thing. Me, what I like is being outside, in contact with animals and nature. The idea takes shape with “several internships”, a Bac pro CGEA then a BTS. At the same time, he multiplies, from the age of 16, replacements in dairy farms. “First the weekend for milking. Then also, later, during school holidays. I have experimented with several things but, in the end, I feel very much like a breeder. »
Since September, Tony has been working full-time on a farm in Chauvé as a salaried “herd manager” (100 dairy cows). But on April 1, he will become the sole owner of the farm. He has also just bought the buildings and 30 hectares of land by drawing on his “savings” and benefiting from a helping hand from the former owners. “They wanted the dairy business to continue and, without me, there would have been no follow-up,” he explains.
“If you are motivated, it is possible”
Becoming the sole master on board, at only 21 years old, could scare more than one. “I didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” he admits. But that doesn’t keep me awake at night. I will continue to learn, I will probably make mistakes, but there are also structures to support me, especially for cultures. And even if it fails, I will have tried. The bachelor, who gets up every day at 5 a.m. for the morning milking, appreciates the “autonomy” he has and the work of an “indispensable” manager.
Once on his own, he will reduce the herd to 75 cows. Sufficient to be able to collect a remuneration of around “2,000 euros per month”, he calculated. “It’s always sad to see farms that don’t find a successor. Covers are quite expensive, there are constraints, but if you’re motivated, if you don’t look too much at your schedule, it’s possible. »
Mister France agricole “does not ignore” the environmental criticisms aimed at conventional agriculture, such as the one he currently practices, and cattle breeding in particular. Convinced that he “could not” have settled in organic because of the current crisis in the sector, he explains that he is invested “for animal welfare”, betting on “grazing as soon as possible”. He also knows that the repetition of droughts, the rise in the prices of raw materials and energy, do not allow us to envisage a rosy future. “I’m not going to stop there,” he replies. You have to adapt, work. I was brought up like that. This job is useful. We are the pillars of food. »