Monsieur Nicolas' Organic Farm

Our morning classes began with French history and Dairy production along Europe's Atlantic coast. These lectures were great because the professors were extremely interactive and not afraid to go off on tangents about almost anything. I learned about France's dairy quota system, an idea that would seem utterly communist if enacted in the United States, and how it preserves the family dairy farms and fair prices. I found it interesting that in order to increase profit, farmers must produce a better quality product, not a greater volume. Milk prices are based on quality, so this motivates the producer to make the best product possible.

After a quick lunch at a local bakery, our group headed to an organic vegetable farm. Unlike the USDA Certified Organic program which requires 85% of organic practices, the EU's organic program requires 100% of practices to be organic. After the farm visit, a local organic marketing organization spoke to us about the industry and market. Much to my surprise, the demand for organic produce has actually plateaued  according to the speaker.

For dinner, our host mom made ratatouille. We all had a good laugh talking about the American movie, Ratatouille- an animated film about a French rat that becomes a chef. For dessert we enjoyed a raspberry tart doused in whipped cream. délicieux 

Pink Meringue in the Bakery