Focus on pasture
The German Pasture Days took place for the second time this year.
Even from a distance, you could tell that something special was going on at the Hanken family's farm in Elsfleth in Lower Saxony. In addition to the cows in the pasture, large white pagoda tents adorned the farmyard. It wasn't just the animals themselves that were amazed.
Large parts of the family farm were spruced up, rearranged and decorated for the 2nd German Pasture Days on 21 and 22 June 2023. A special feature of the Grazing Days this year: in addition to the initiators from Grünlandzentrum Niedersachsen/Bremen e.V., the Fokus Tierwohl network and Elite were also partners in the organisation and implementation of the event.
The programme included exciting presentations in the morning. In the afternoon, visitors were able to choose from a variety of workshops and discuss specialist topics with experts in small groups or try their hand at practical exercises.
After the welcoming address by the organisers on the first day, the subsequent presentations were not only aimed at dairy cow farmers. Lea Trampenau (ISS innovative slaughter systems) and Holger Behrens (bio4friends) took a closer look at (partially) mobile slaughtering. The positive aspect of this process is that live animal transport is avoided. In contrast to fully mobile slaughtering, only two parts of the slaughtering process take place on the farm/pasture. The animal is stunned and killed in its familiar surroundings and then driven to the slaughterhouse within 2 hours. The significant reduction in stress from the animal's point of view during this process not only has a positive effect on the animal itself, but also on its meat quality. The promotion of animal welfare, sustainability and the preservation of the value chain can be clearly identified here.
Both speakers are strongly committed to supporting the implementation process, providing advice and raising awareness of this type of slaughter.
The subsequent topic is important for cattle both in the barn and on the pasture: drinking water, the most important of all feedstuffs. Prof Dr Julia Steinhoff-Wagner (TU Munich) showed the participants how important it is to take a closer look at the drinking troughs and send in water samples at regular intervals. This is because the type of drinking trough, the climate and the hygiene status influence the cows' drinking behaviour. In addition, bacteria or algae can cause illness in the animals if the drinking troughs are not sufficiently clean. Therefore, a visual inspection of the available water, flow rate, etc. should take place several times a day and hygiene measures should be carried out every few days (as required). Drinking water should be analysed at least once a year. If there are any abnormalities, even more frequently, the expert recommends.
The reason why the Hanken family's farm was chosen as the venue for the event became clear in the third specialist lecture. This dealt with the future of peatland sites in Lower Saxony, which are an issue for farms in the coastal regions of Lower Saxony. In order to achieve Germany's climate targets, a legal and political framework for peatland protection has been created. In future, moors are to be utilised more extensively and more wetly. But how does this work in harmony with dairy cow farming? Mathias Paech from the Gründlandzentrum Niedersachsen/Bremen e.V. calculated the socio-economic consequences for the audience. His outlook: the waterlogging of moorland sites is associated with losses and costs running into billions. At present, there are still no satisfactory solutions in sight for dairy cow farms from a business perspective, apart from the installation and use of photovoltaic systems.
Erik Jansen from the Veenweide Innovation Centre (NL) gave the final presentation of the first morning. The Moor Innovation Centre was founded in 2012 to find solutions for reducing greenhouse gases. Innovative solutions for problems in (agriculturally utilised) Dutch peatland areas are developed and tested here. The main focus is on water management and land use (milk production and alternatives). The speaker presented water infiltration and explained the advantages and disadvantages of the agricultural utilisation of wet peatlands (paludiculture). In the current Dutch research programme on greenhouse gas dynamics in peatlands and organic soils (NOBV), greenhouse gas emissions and measure effects are being determined in order to develop protocols for measurement. Preliminary results show that rewetting is effective in reducing peat degradation and CO2 emissions, but that many effects and influences have the opposite effect. What is certain is that the effects of raising the water table or paludiculture on emissions vary. They depend on the location, the crop, the land use, the site conditions, the management and the weather.
After refreshments, the event participants moved on to the workshops. Workshops lasting between half an hour and two hours were offered on a wide variety of topics. From water supply in the pasture to hoof health in the barn and on the pasture to soil-conserving grassland management, a wide range of topics was available. Participants were able to engage in dialogue with experts and actively develop solutions. The exciting workshops were very well received by the audience. In addition, farm manager Dirk Hanken gave interested visitors a tour of his farm and answered in-depth questions.
The second day focussed on cows on pasture. Dr Agnes van den Pol-van Dasselaar from the Aeres University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands presented the competitiveness of grazing. In Germany, grazing is steadily declining and currently accounts for less than 50% of dairy cow farms. Grazing is more important in Ireland and the Netherlands, for example. Grazing strengthens biodiversity. A wide variety of flora and fauna develops from the animals' excrement. In addition, processes (mowing, grazing) can be rotated. Grazing also has an influence on the climate. Full grazing (day and night) reduces methane and ammonia emissions. The positive impact on animal welfare is also a decisive factor. Cows can live out their natural behaviour and their health and fitness are promoted. To avoid the negative effects of grazing, the extent of grazing should be assessed for each individual farm and depending on the type of farming.
Friederike Riesch and Martin Komainda (University of Göttingen) then demonstrated the links between grazing and biodiversity. Intensive grazing increases the diversity of plants. This means that the number of plant species increases. In contrast to insects. Here, less grazing promotes diversity. In order to create heterogeneity, Mrs Riesch also recommends a combination of plant species with different complementary functional characteristics. This is also an advantage when water is scarce, as there are then better possibilities for adaptation. To reduce emissions somewhat, a grass mixture with ribwort plantain can help to reduce N excretion in urine, explained Mr Komainda.
After a short break, the farmers were given the floor. Two farm managers from Denmark and a practitioner from the Eifel region provided the audience with a practical insight. Topic: What does grazing look like in practice? Mr Markus Legge (NRW) has come up with an innovative idea for milking. As direct grazing in the immediate vicinity of the farm does not work due to the conditions of his location, he drives the AMS in a container to the pasture in summer for his 75 dairy cows (organically reared). His robotic cubicle is equipped with a waiting area with a slatted floor. There is also a selection gate where the animals can be moved to other pastures if necessary.
Denmark takes a progressive approach to grazing. Rene Søndergård and Søren Hemming Madsen presented this with their farm portraits. Rene Søndergård runs an organic farm with 164 cows and a milk yield of 13,200 kg EKM. His cows have three AMS in the barn and can walk independently from the barn to the pasture. They are out on pasture almost around the clock with an area of 12 ha (rotational grazing). This pays off in healthy hooves and good cow comfort in the barn, he explains. His quote: "Make the pasture part of the barn".
Søren Hemming Madsen, on the other hand, has considerably more cows. He farms 750 hectares with 950 Jersey cows and milks in a rotary milking parlour. He manages his farm according to the New Zealand model with suitable milking systems, grazing strategies and block calving. He explained to the audience how he implements this: during the dry period, the cows only have limited access to pasture. Otherwise, his cows are in the pasture in the morning hours. For the second milking, they are driven into the barn at 13:30 after 6 hours of grazing. Block calving starts in mid-June and lasts until August. For this, he dries the cows every year in May.
After a short panel discussion, everyone in the audience was released for a lunch break to fortify themselves for the subsequent workshops. The highlight of the afternoon was the exchange with the farmers from Denmark. Here, the participants were able to ask their specific questions directly and engage in dialogue.