Ep. 67 Sharing Seed Research with Farmers – Fanny Lebrun, Les Marequiers
Fanny Lebrun is the driving force behind Les Marequiers, a Belgian non-profit dedicated to regional food autonomy. Through their flagship program, Semences d’Ici (which translates to Seeds from Here), Fanny works to strengthen the local organic seed sector. Prior to that, Fanny started the seed company Cycle en Terre by herself then built it into a citizen-owned seed cooperative.
In this episode, Fanny shares the logistics and challenges of scaling a seed business from a one-person operation to a ten-person team. We discuss Fanny’s transition into Les Marequiers and how she is trying to bridge the information gap from academic research to the practical realities of the farm. We also talk about the organic disease and pest management guide she has recently written.
In the deep dive, Fanny and I talk about growing carrots for seed. We get into the difficulties of growing seed carrots in humid, short-season climates, covering overwintering roots in a simple cellar and how to balance the harvest of primary and secondary umbels.
Enjoy the conversation!
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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast
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Episode links
Les Marequiers website
French organic disease and pest management guide:
Gestion des bioagresseurs en production de semences potagères biologiques.
https://lesmarequiers.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SDI-Dossiers-LesBioagresseurs.pdf
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Use code HARVESTREADY
for 50% off the Harvest System Designs course
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//courses
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Stay in Touch
Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/
Get my weekly seed newsletter
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds
Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)
Get my new book The Seed Farmer
https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook
❤️ Thanks for listening!
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Ep. 66 Getting Ready For Seed Harvest
Today, let’s talk about how to set you up for successful seed harvests this summer. Taking a little time right now to make sure you have the right tools on hand means you can just head to the field and get those seeds when the weather is right!
Today’s minisode is all about
• Setting up your Seed HQ for your summer seed work • Choosing your seed harvest tools • Building field screens • And protecting your lungs and bodies from all the dust and sharp bits
Enjoy the show!
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
Use code HARVESTREADY for 50% off the Harvest System Designs course https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//courses
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
Stay in Touch Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/
Get my weekly seed newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds
Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only) https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/
Get my new book The Seed Farmer https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook
❤️ Thanks for listening!
