REPORT: Charlier plough demonstration: Shares from Champagne. The Champagne region is known for wide horizons, lots of sugar beet and of course intensive viticulture. This was the backdrop for French plough maker Charlier to stage its field working demonstration to show off its wares.
Champagne is a vehemently protected brand. Only wine that is produced here in the Champagne region is eligible for this famous label.
The specialist manufacturer
Although it is sparkling wine which has made this area world-famous, other forms of agriculture also takes place around the town of Châlons-en-Champagne. There is a small plough factory in the village of Vitry-la-Ville to the south of Châlons-en-Champagne which stared in 1879 – Charrues Charlier. The vast fields begin directly behind the inconspicuous factory that bears the Charlier logo. Inside, a small team of less than ten develop and manufacture a broad range. The company started out building seed drills. Ploughs were added to the line-up after World War II. These
ploughs are primarily sold in France, namely in Champagne and neighbouring regions where they are made to meet the specific needs of the local soil, which is partly loamy, highly calcareous and rich in minerals.
The ploughs have comparably small bodies and a small interbody clearance of either 14in (36cm) or 16in (41cm). In addition to classic bodies with optional carbide-coated points, Charlier also has plastic mouldboards in its range. The 18mm thick boards are for really sticky clay soil and have good wear resistance in the calcareous conditions.
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