The Use of Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) to Follow the Leaf/Stem Ratio of Legumes During Drying

Legume-rich mixed swards allow the production of a high quantity protein-rich forage with low nitrogen input. Nevertheless, during hay or silage making, dry matter losses as high as, 40 and 25 % have been recorded (Ciotti & Cavallero, 1979; Stilmant et al., 2004). These losses have mainly been linked to the high sensitivity to physical loss of legume leaves during drying. The development of a tool to characterise leaf losses or leaf/stem ratio during drying will help us to define the technical approach to reach the best compromise between quality loss reduction and good pre-wilting of legum-rich mixed swards. The aim of the present work was to test the potentialities of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to quantify legume leaf/stem ratio in mixed grass-legume swards. The mixtures tested were perennial ryegrass-white clover (PR-WC), perennial ryegrass-red clover (PR-RC), timothy-red clover (T-RC) and cocksfoot-lucerne (C-L) swards. This technique has been successfully used to quantify leaf/stem ratio in pure perennial ryegrass swards (Leconte et al. 1999)

Faecal near Infrared Spectroscopy to Measure the Diet Selected and Productivity of Grazing Ruminants

In ruminants near infrared spectroscopy of faeces (F.NIRS) can measure the concentrations of faecal constituents such as N and fibre. It can also directly estimate many diet attributes, including total N, fibre, digestibility and the major plant groups (e.g. monocots versus dicots, and some plant species). In some situations F.NIRS can be used to estimate voluntary intake and liveweight change, but it is difficult to encompass animal effects (e.g. lactation, maturity), pasture availability or mineral deficiencies. Application of F.NIRS, especially in conjunction with other measurements (e.g. metabolizable energy intake calculated from liveweight change, 13C/12C ratio in faeces, microbial protein synthesis and phosphorus concentrations in faeces) can provide valuable and reliable information about the nutritional status of grazing ruminants. Examples where F.NIRS has been used to measure the nutritional status of grazing cattle and sheep are described for extensive and intensive tropical production systems in northern Australia, the Caribbean, the Amazonian humid tropics, and for temperate pastures in Europe. F.NIRS can be applied to routinely and economically measure the nutrient intakes of grazing ruminants, and such information used to modify herd management

Reconversion to organic famring, between organic rules and agro-food chain referential: How to fit out the organic fattening referential?

peer reviewe

Place de la prairie pâturée dans les schémas d’engraissement

Les prairies recouvrent près de 50% de la surface agricole utile en Wallonie. Si la prairie occupe une place importante dans les systèmes naisseurs avec le pâturage des mères et des veaux, elle se fait plus discrète dans les schémas d’engraissement. L’objectif des essais menés au CRAW (Libramont) est d’identifier la place de la prairie pâturée dans les schémas d’engraissement en AB, en liaison avec la valoriser des ressources produites sur l’exploitation

Management of Gastro-Intestinal Parasite Pressure, Under Grazing in Organic Farms: Development of a Decision Support System Through the Mobilisation of a Participative Research Process

Under grazing, gastro-intestinal parasite management remains a major problem in ruminant production systems, more especially in systems respecting organic farming rules following their obligations (1) to perform grazing as soon as pedo-climatic conditions are adapted and (2) to use anti-parasitic products only in a curative way. Surprisingly, this problem has not been highlighted by the different stakeholders in the food chain from cattle meat production to consumption. This could arise from the lack of a clear and pertinent norm or infestation threshold that would allow differentiation between preventive and curative treatments. Such a norm would indicate to the breeder whether he was permitted to treat his herd or not. The question is how to involve the stakeholders in a participative research process in order to develop a decision support system (DSS) adapted to their needs, when there is, initially, no clear demand for such a system. We present the steps followed to develop such a DSS: (1) stakeholder sensitisation to the question, (2) data recording with farmers and developing the DSS principle, (3) data processing and DSS calibration and validation

Influence of chestnut tannins on in vitro crude protein rumen degradability kinetics of red clover silage

Chestnut tannins in red clover silage reduce rumen dry matter and crude protein degradation. Adding tannins to silage could lead to better nitrogen use efficiency in ruminants

Transformation of gastro-intestinal parasites managment scheme in the context of suckling herd conversion to organic farming.

In a first hand, we have identified, based on the driving forces that have led to suckling farms conversion to organic farming, three mains types : The ones who have made their conversion for the “market”, “environment” and the “holistic” conversion. In a second hand, some tensions, between organic rules and agro-food chain expectations have been highlighted by breeding practices close by organic rules limits and focussed on the knowledge, the coherence and the competencies of the conventional frame of references. Indeed, face to this conventional frame of reference, the organic frame and its actors remain, from a conceptual and a technical point of view are not well fitted out

Comment établir un lien durable entre environnement et consommation ? Le cas de la viande bovine en agriculture biologique

Une recherche intervention dans le cadre d’une filière viande bovine biologique en Belgique met en évidence des tensions entre référentiels bio et conventionnels. Les mécanismes par lesquels la filière de mise en marché modifie les pratiques et les résultats attendus de ce mode d’élevage sont analysés. Par l’intermédiaire d’une nouvelle figure de consommateur, une inversion du couplage entre marché et mode de production est proposée aux opérateurs de la filière par l’introduction d’une obligation de résultats sur les qualités sensorielles du produit fini

Parasitisme chez les génisses au pâturage en relation avec les pratiques des éleveurs en agriculture biologique

La gestion du parasitisme au pâturage est un défi majeur pour l’éleveur, particulièrement en conditions bio. Par ailleurs, une exposition contrôlée contribue à construire une immunité tout en ayant un impact limité sur les performances animales.→ Objectifs: (i) déterminer les relations entre pression parasitaire et pratiques des éleveurs dans des fermes bovines bio(ii) identifier des pratiques à recommander aux éleveur

Joint technical and economic assessment of feed autonomy in organic cattle farms

Increasing the level of feed autonomy (self-sufficiency) is usually considered as a prerequisite for conversion of cattle farms to organic farming. Technically it requires adjusting fodder production and feed purchases in terms of quantity and quality to the requirements of the herd. A joint technical and economic assessment of feed autonomy in organic cattle farms was conducted. Data were collected in 2014 and 2015 on 11 Belgian farms located in distinct agricultural regions and characterised by different proportions of grassland area. Dry matter yield and nutritional quality were determined at each harvest for each fodder crop, including permanent and temporary grasslands, immature cereal-legume crops and grain crops. Animal productions and economic data, including all cash inflows and outflows, were recorded. Economically efficient farms had high levels of feed autonomy, ranging from 89 to 100%. Three economically-efficient feeding strategies were identified for organic cattle production. Strategies differed from each other according to the proportion of grassland area, level of animal production and the achieved level of feed autonomy