Auvergne: a land of innovation

Territorial anchorage, the source of our values

Supporting the local economy

Limagrain is an agricultural co-operative that was founded in 1942 in France by farmers from the Limagne plain in Auvergne, in order to insure regular supply of the seeds necessary for their activity. Today, Limagrain is a co-operative group of international dimension with broadened activities and territories. Right from the start, Limagrain has always drawn its strength from its members, whose values and history it cultivates in the management of the Group.

Limagrain in Auvergne is above all the story of Men and Women, 3,500 farmers from the plains and hills, members of the Co-operative and 1,200 Group employees. Men and women who make a great contribution to the vitality of a region.

For Limagrain, this attachment is demonstrated every day, with its decision-making center based in Chappes, its research work, its seed production, its seed factory, its agri-food chains, and its commitment to the competitiveness cluster “Céréales Vallée”.

Limagrain now covers almost 50% of crop production in the county of Puy-de-Dôme and its surrounding villages with 38,000 hectares under contract.

The seed corn chain involves Limagrain's star crop. This key activity in Limagne covered almost 4,800 hectares this year. Other seeds are also produced in Auvergne: wheat, sunflower, open field vegetables (beans, squash, pumpkins, radish, onions…) and nursery vegetables grown in tunnels (mainly lettuce seeds).

In order to compensate for the fact that it is a long way from the main consumption centers, the Co-operative has invested in agro-industrial value chains. The “seeds” chain, our historic base, is supplemented by “milling wheat” with 17,500 hectares and “semolina corn” with 10,000 hectares this past fiscal year. These chains ensure supplies to Jacquet and Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients through production that is totally contracted out. All this high added-value production contributes to the development of farms in Limagne which, in spite of expanding over the last five years, still preserve a family dimension (an average size of 90 hectares).

Besides its plant chains, Limagrain also owns and runs an agricultural distribution chain, offering supplies such as fertilizers, plant care products, seeds and animal feed. This network also extends to consumer distribution outlets with five Gamm vert garden centers located in Cournon, Issoire, Riom, St-Eloy-les-Mines and Ambert (France).

The Co-operative at the service of local agriculture

Founded in 1942 by the farmers from the Limagne plain (county of Puy-de-Dôme, France) to produce the seeds they needed for their activity, the Co-operative has supported the development of farms in Limagne through the production of seed corn. Subsequently it also succeeded in adapting to its markets by consolidating its seed business through the creation of agri-food chains offering secure outlets supported by industrial plant. As the parent company of Limagrain, the Co-operative extends its values of a “partnership company” throughout the Group. After its merger with two other co operatives in the county, Domagri and Maïcentre in December 2009, the Limagrain Cooperative has strengthened its territorial anchorage.

More than 2,000 farms have signed contracts in the county of Puy-de-Dôme and the surrounding villages. Production under contract with the Co-operative now covers almost 50% of plant production in the county of Puy-de-Dôme. The Co-operative also offers a wide range of services to its members: from the distribution of input products to animal feed under the “domagri, l'alimentation animale” brand name.