The home of woolly animals, sheep, and men

At Maison des Bêtes à Laine, Faustine and Pierre raise sheep and lambs, but they also strive to promote their industry and expertise through high-quality meat, wool made in the Hautes-Alpes, and an educational farm. Proud of their heritage and confident in their work, they champion small-scale farming.

Cervières, a village located at an altitude of 1,620 meters at the foot of Lasseron and the Col de l'Izoard. It is in this hamlet of barely two hundred souls that La Maison des Bêtes à Laine is located. This farm has as many sheep as the village has inhabitants. Unlike in summer, when bells fill the neighborhood and mountain pastures with life, in winter the animals stay warm in the sheepfold. Carefully grouped according to the number of lambs they are carrying, they spend most of their time chewing hay.

We are welcomed by Faustine and Pierre, who grew up here surrounded by sheep and hay. The two young farmers are now continuing the family tradition in the form of a GAEC (agricultural economic interest group). It was Pierre's grandfather who built this farm in 1978. Jean-Pierre and Bernadette, his parents, took over the business in 1984 and created the educational farm in 2011. In 2023, they passed the torch to their son and his partner, both of whom have agricultural degrees.

Farmers devote most of their time to raising livestock. Here, 250 lambs of the Mérinos d'Arles, Préalpes du Sud, or Mourérous breeds are born each year: 200 in the spring, including about 150 in a period of about 20 days, and 50 in the fall. When they reach 35-40 kg, they are sold for their meat under the L’agneau de l’adret or L’agneau de Sisteron labels.

In addition, since 2015, the sheep's wool has been put to good use. Shearing yields nearly 350 kg of wool, which is sorted on the spot. Only 100 kg of sufficient quality is sent to other French companies located in Haute-Loire and Creuse to be transformed into balls of wool, felt soles, and soon socks.
Bernadette also makes a few hats to expand the range of derivative products.

Visitors to the educational farm will enjoy these soft and colorful objects: individuals (by appointment), as well as schools and recreation centers. Organized from October to May, the visits are structured around three main themes: a 30-minute video presentation, a 30-minute tour of the sheepfold, and a 30-minute demonstration of wool processing (spinning, dyeing, weaving, carding, and felting). In recent years, practical workshops on wool processing, lasting between 1.5 and 2 hours, have also been offered to adults. Pierre, trained by his mother, gives the demonstrations... demonstrating remarkable skill!

Find out more about the lives of woolly animals atwww.lamaisondesbetesalaine.comor on the Facebook page "Ferme Pédagogique La Maison des Bêtes à Laine" (La Maison des Bêtes à Laine Educational Farm) and, above all, go and meet Faustine and Pierre, who will share their story and experience with you.

Text and photos: Fabien Dupuis, ambassador for the Hautes Vallées