Optimising grass supply, labour, economy and mind-set to create added value from grazing

Grazing provides multiple benefits to farmers and to the wider society. While the ecosystem services provided to society are certainly appreciated, they are thus far hardly rewarded. This paper discusses topics related to creating added value from grazing by optimising grass supply, labour, economy and mind-set. New promising business models are presented, in which farmers are financially rewarded for their added value contributions. An example of a grazing system that is easy to implement is given, the "New Dutch Grazing", which optimises labour and grass utilisation. Finally, the importance of the mind-set of the farmer is discussed. Farmers are key actors when it comes to maintaining and improving grazing systems since they decide on the day-to-day management on the farm. When developing stimulating initiatives, this should be taken into account. Special attention should be paid to young farmers since they represent the next generation of farming

Drijfmesttoediening op klei in voorjaar mogelijk

Voor de teelt van maos op kleigrond kan toediening van drijfmest uitgesteld worden tot het voorjaar. Voordelen hiervan zijn een betere benutting van de mineralen, minder mineralenverliezen en een lager stikstofoverschot

Minder lachgas uit de melkveehouderij mogelijk

In dit artikel wordt ingegaan op de mogelijkheden die de melkveehouderij heeft om de uitstoot van lachgas te beperken

Analysis of the Attitude of Farmers towards Innovations in the Management of Grasslands in Poland

Innovations in the management of grasslands in Poland are important to preserve them as a source of different ecosystem services. In the farmers point of view the most promising is forage production for herbivores, particularly dairy cows. Individual farmers have different opinions about innovations. To stimulate innovations in grassland-based farming systems in Poland, it is important to determine the drivers for their promotion and to define the barriers to overcome problems by their implementation. Analysis of the attitude of Polish farmers towards innovations on grasslands were conducted within the H2020 Inno4Grass project. The majority of respondents were young and had relatively well-developed farms. An on-line questionnaire on innovations on grassland was developed using SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire studied the attitude of grassland farmers towards innovations, e.g. their importance, factors influencing decisions of their adaption, barriers and drivers. Answers were scored on a Likert scale. Furthermore, some general questions were asked: available grassland area, main type of animal, farmer age, etc. The questionnaire was available from winter 2017/2018 onwards and closed at the end of June 2018. At the time of closing the questionnaire, 157 valid responses were obtained. Dairy cows were the most common animal type in grassland farms, followed by beef cattle. The majority of respondents indicated that innovations are important or very important in general, in grassland and in grazing, respectively 92%, 88% and 62%. The most important influencing factors on farmer’s decisions with respect to grasslands (\u3e 60%) were own values and norms, image of the farm/the sector, family, consumers and advisors. Farmers pointed out that the most important driver for innovation is money/profit/better income (17.5%), followed by time saving/improved labour conditions (14.2%) and animal health (11.6%). In the opinion of the respondents, the main barriers to innovations in grasslands are money/costs too high/benefits too low (23.9%), too little technology on farm (15.0%) and risk (13.6%)

Grazing and Animal Welfare of Dairy Cows in Europe, What do We Know?

Grazing systems are important components of the landscape in almost all European countries. Grazing is inherently close to the nature of herbivores, but no longer applied everywhere in Europe. This paper discusses the extent of dairy cow grazing in Europe and the effect of grazing on animal welfare. The study builds on results of surveys from the European Grassland Federation (EGF) Working Group “Grazing” (WGG) in the period 2010–2022 and a focus group meeting in 2022. Data on the extent of grazing of dairy cows in Europe are provided. Europe can be divided into six distinctive regions with respect to the extent of grazing. The extent of grazing is country specific and there is less grazing in the East and the South than in the North and the West of Europe. In general, the popularity of grazing in Europe is declining, but there are a few exceptions. The main positive effects of grazing on animal welfare and animal health identified are that grazing provides much more scope for natural behaviour, may reduce the risk of udder health problems and may benefit claw health. The main negative effects are that in the field cows are exposed to weather conditions, especially sun, and fluctuations in diet composition. The WGG members concluded that grazing has, in general, a positive effect on animal welfare and animal health. A changing climate and associated changing weather conditions are seen as the biggest challenges for grazing in the next decade

Grazing and Animal Welfare of Dairy Cows in Europe, What do We Know?

Grazing systems are important components of the landscape in almost all European countries. Grazing is inherently close to the nature of herbivores, but no longer applied everywhere in Europe. This paper discusses the extent of dairy cow grazing in Europe and the effect of grazing on animal welfare. The study builds on results of surveys from the European Grassland Federation (EGF) Working Group “Grazing” (WGG) in the period 2010–2022 and a focus group meeting in 2022. Data on the extent of grazing of dairy cows in Europe are provided. Europe can be divided into six distinctive regions with respect to the extent of grazing. The extent of grazing is country specific and there is less grazing in the East and the South than in the North and the West of Europe. In general, the popularity of grazing in Europe is declining, but there are a few exceptions. The main positive effects of grazing on animal welfare and animal health identified are that grazing provides much more scope for natural behaviour, may reduce the risk of udder health problems and may benefit claw health. The main negative effects are that in the field cows are exposed to weather conditions, especially sun, and fluctuations in diet composition. The WGG members concluded that grazing has, in general, a positive effect on animal welfare and animal health. A changing climate and associated changing weather conditions are seen as the biggest challenges for grazing in the next decade

Maximising grazing in ruminant production systems: proceedings 6th Meeting EGF Working Group "Grazing" in Cork

This report presents the main outcomes of the sixth meeting of the EGF Working Group “Grazing” which was held in Cork, Ireland on 17 June 2018. The aim of the Working Group “Grazing” is to exchange knowledge on all aspects of grazing research and to provide a forum for networking. The theme of the meeting in Cork was “Maximising grazing in ruminant production systems”

Grazing in a high-tech world : Proceedings 5th meeting EGF Working Group "Grazing" in Trondheim

This report presents the main outcomes of the fifth meeting of the EGF Working Group “Grazing” which was held in Trondheim, Norway on 4 September 2016. The aim of the Working Group “Grazing” is to exchange knowledge on all aspects of grazing research and to provide a forum for networking. The theme of the meeting in Trondheim was “Grazing in a high-tech world