What can you say about your appointment?
Arnaud Tachon: Strengthening the link between the Seeds division and the Plant Production division is strategic for Maïsadour. It is essential that these divisions work together cohesively to meet farmers’ expectations. That is why I now have this dual role in Seeds and Plant Production (Vice-President of Maïsadour in charge of Plant Production and President of MAS Seeds, editor’s note). Our actions must be better structured in the interests of the Cooperative and its members.
Ludovic Cousin: The link I maintain with my family farm helps me understand the issues and expectations of farmers. In addition, my 20-year career at MAS Seeds has given me knowledge of the various business lines and its international locations, enabling me to provide the best possible support for decision-making.
A.T.: The seed industry is undergoing a major restructuring. Ludovic’s knowledge of the company and its challenges was very well received by producers when he was appointed.
What does MAS Seeds' motto, ‘Act together for a changing agriculture’, mean to you?
A.T.: We want to change the way we farm. We need to move from traditional agriculture to regenerative agriculture, thanks to technical and agronomic progress, genetics, decision-making tools, etc.
L.C.: Farmers face daily challenges: climate change, geopolitical instability affecting markets, regulatory pressure, societal demands, etc. Our aim is to support them in addressing these challenges, while enabling them to remain economically viable.
When we launched this motto two years ago, it was an ambition. Today, we already have concrete solutions, such as our new maize and sunflower varieties, or our ranges of cover crops and forage mixtures.
We already have concrete solutions to support farmers in facing their daily challenges.
What is the role of seeds in the agroecological transition?
L.C.: That’s the starting point. Varietal selection allows us to work on different criteria: resistance to water stress, disease tolerance, fertilisation efficiency, etc. It is therefore an essential part of this transition, even before practices evolve through agronomic advice or decision-making tools.
A.T.: To this end, MAS Seeds plays a supporting and training role with farmers to provide them with very concrete solutions. As with Maïsadour’s entire CSR approach, our aim is not to undergo change but to anticipate it.
What were MAS Seeds' achievements in 2024-2025?
A.T.: There have been many, but I would mention our commercial success with, for example, our ‘Fantasmastic Four’ (MAS 405D, MAS 448G, MAS 524A and MAS 529D) for sowing in all conditions. Other varieties are already coming onto the market.
MAS Seeds has demonstrated a real ability to adapt compared to its competitors.
L.C.: Our success is down to innovation, with very concrete solutions, whether in hybrids with the expansion of our grain and silage maize range, the launch of our new range of oleic and broomrape-resistant sunflowers, our cover crop ranges or our decision-making tools.
Outside the South-West, we would like to commend our teams in Eastern Europe, who are showing resilience in these difficult conditions, the research and development work carried out in Mexico, and our teams in Côte d’Ivoire, who are successfully laying the groundwork for the development of MASTROP.
Finally, we can mention the successful results of our first year of pilot farming. This collaboration between 14 producers and our agricultural teams illustrates the DNA of MAS Seeds: connection with the land.
It should enable us to quickly train all seed producers in the evolution and promotion of their regenerative agriculture practices.
What is your roadmap?
A.T.: MAS Seeds will continue to invest, conduct research and structure its commercial offering. Each project must deliver profitability and performance for farmers and the Cooperative in order to enhance the value of farms.
Regenerative agriculture is the agriculture of tomorrow. MAS Seeds is fully committed to working alongside farmers to make this transition a success.
L.C.: And we are working on this in three areas. First, restructuring our maize and sunflower offering. Second, continuing our CSR transformation and regenerative agriculture policy. And finally, better promoting the expertise we are so proud of.
Comments from the interview gathered internally
