Climate change is strongly affecting grazing grass availability during summer and requires supplementing animals with surplus forage harvested in spring. The aim of this study is to maintain grazing activity throughout the summer by providing a rationed supply of hay bales directly in the field. Several benefits are targeted: reduced mechanisation and improvement of soil fertility through animal excretions. An analytical trial was conducted at the Thorign & eacute; d'Anjou Experimental Farm over three summers (2022 to 2024) on a permanent sward with modest yield potential. The hay used was endogenous, originating from the trial sward. Two feeding modalities were tested (rolled-out hay bale vs. non-rolled-out hay bale) and compared with a control in which the hay was removed from the plot. Several agronomic and zootechnical measurements were collected: forage utilisation, impacts on subsequent cycles, animal growth, and soil fertility. Summer bale grazing has been shown to be operationally feasible for growing cattle, if it is carefully planned and structured. As a result, forage utilisation rates measured over the three summers were very good. Over the periods studied, and despite modest forage values, cattle growth rates were satisfactory but variable. From an agronomic perspective, summer bale grazing does not adversely affect grassland productivity, the nutritive value of the forage produced, or floristic composition. However, accurately measuring the effect of practices such as bale grazing on soil fertility is complex given the many possible interactions.
The association of forage maize with Lablab purpureus, a tropical legume, is being studied to improve the protein content of forage while reducing nitrogen inputs. The TROPICOW project (CASDAR IP1628056) tested this association at five sites in France between 2022 and 2024, using a specific rhizobium inoculant to promote symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The results show that the introduction of lablab, even when inoculated, does not maintain the yield levels observed with sole maize at full density: on average, the association led to a decrease of 1.5 t DM/ha, or-10.6%. Lablab contributed 12% of the total yield, producing up to 1.6 t DM/ ha. Inoculation slightly improved biomass production and crude protein content (+1.1 points), but the effect was not statistically significant. The nutritive value parameters of lablab measured in sacco were noticeably different from the INRAE reference. Analyses of co-ensiled maize and lablab at varying proportions revealed a decrease in ruminal starch degradability starting at 15% lablab inclusion, with reductions of up to-11 points at 30% inclusion. Inoculation had no effect on the quality of the fermented forage. In conclusion, under the tested conditions, the maize-lablab association did not demonstrate sufficient agronomic, zootechnical, or economic interest. Alternative methods of introducing lablab, delayed in time or integrated into different cropping systems, could be explored to better harness its potential.
The AFPF 2026 conference boldly chose the theme of the role of grasslands and forages in the agroecological transition. Agroecology is a concept that is the subject of numerous definitions, and the objectives, principles and levers vary depending on the actors and points of view. Around fifty oral presentations and posters essentially helped to understand the levers for increasing the resilience of forage systems and limiting the use of inputs. A synthetic analysis of these presentations is presented here, addressing both the elements covered, but also those that could have been covered. This analysis is based on the 13 principles of FAO agroecology grouped into 3 main themes, recalled in the introductive presentation of the conference: improving the use of inputs, increasing resilience, and ensuring social equity and responsibility.
Water vole outbreaks cause significant forage losses and increase the emergence of health issues in mid-mountain grassland livestock farming systems. The role of grassland floristic composition in the spatial dynamics of this species is still poorly understood. This study aims to assess the extent to which the multifunctional typology of grasslands in the Massif central (AEOLE typology), which classifies grasslands according to their floristic composition, can predict the risk of water vole outbreaks in plots. The studywas conducted on the INRAE Herbip & ocirc;le site in Laqueuille (Sancy Massif, Puy-de-D & ocirc;me) during the growth phase (2024) and peak phase (2025) of the outbreak cycle. 84 grassland facies belonging to 10 AEOLE types were sampled, in which vole densities were estimated using the index diagonal method. Statistical models were used to evaluate the explanatory power of the AEOLE typology. The results show contrasts in vole densities, mainly explained by the type of grassland. Moderately to highly fertile mown plots have the highest densities and are the main hotspots for outbreaks. Pastures, high elevation grasslands, heathlands, and poor hayfields are less colonized. The AEOLE typology is an operational tool for identifying plots at high risk of outbreaks.
In context of a growing demand for goat milk products, the use of grass could be a solution for improving food self-sufficiency while facilitating the agroecological transition of goat farms. Three systems, based on three herds of 55 goats differing in their kidding periods and their strategies for utilizing multi-species pastures (MSP), were designed: an off-season indoor system (DB), an off-season grazing system (DP), and a seasonal grazing system (SP). Their MSP were utilized through grazing and/or barn-dried hay. No pesticides or nitrogen fertilizers were applied to the 7 ha of MSP and 3 ha of mixed crops in the DB system; nor to the 8 ha of MSP and 2 ha of mixed crops in the DP and SP systems. The feed intake and milk production of each herd were measured, and the botanical composition, biochemical values, and nutritional content of the MSP were calculated from 2021 to 2023.Over the three-year period and across the three systems, the PDI ranged from 50 to 52 g/kg DM for hay and from 47 to 48 g/kg DM for grazed grass, while the UFL ranged from 0.93 to 0.86 g/kg DM for hay and from 0.81 to 0.82 g/kg DM for grazed grass. The harvested and grazed forages were therefore balanced, allowing for high forage intake and good feed self-sufficiency (75%, with an average of 70 to 72% forage in the ration over the period). The DB, DP, and SP systems consumed an average of471, 442, and 417 g of concentrate per literto produce 796, 781, and 869 liters per goat per year, respectively. Grass-fed dairy goat systems can combine maintaining their production levels with a good level of feed self-sufficiency thanks to balanced forages from SMP, particularly in seasonal management systems that allow for grazing.
