Grassland use in Europe
A syllabus for young farmers

Covering 40% of the European agricultural area, grasslands are vitally important both for agriculture and society. These grasslands serve multiple functions, including the local provision of fodder for animal husbandry (and hence high-quality food provision for people), biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and the provision of ‘traditional’ landscapes that European citizens appreciate for recreational purposes and cultural heritage.

The future of grassland farming in Europe is in the hands of young farmers. Compared to other topics, grassland management has often been a weak point of teaching delivered by agricultural technical schools in several European countries. The training of future farmers and advisors could thus be significantly improved, which could lead to better grassland management in the medium and long terms. For this reason, the European project Inno4Grass created a syllabus and a set of PowerPoint presentations on practical grassland management for current and future generations of grassland farmers and advisors.

Preface

Objectives of Inno4Grass

Diversity of European grasslands

Main grassland types

Economic and social importance of European grasslands

Environmental importance

Threats

Chapter 1. Grassland production

Characteristics of grass

Use of grasslands

Grassland species and sward assessment

Weed management

Chapter 2. Grazing management

Grass supply

Main parasitic diseases encountered on the pasture

Main grazing parameters

Management according to the season

Farm infrastructure

Chapter 3. Hay and silage making

Cutting management and haymaking

Silage

Techniques adapted to legume and legume mixtures

Chapter 4. Soil and nutrient management

Soil characteristics related to grasslands

Main macro-nutrients: N P K

Biological nitrogen fixation

Liming

Use of animal manure

Other macro- and micronutrients

Chapter 5. Environment and biodiversity

Carbon sequestration

Greenhouse gas emissions

Water quality

Biodiversity

Chapter 6. Quality of grassland-based animal products

Milk and dairy product quality

Effect of grazed grass on milk composition

Effect of the grass conservation type on milk composition

References

Characteristics of individual countries

Sweden

Ireland

The Netherlands

Belgium

Germany

Poland

Agnes van den Pol-van Dasselaar is professor Grassland and Grazing at Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten, the Netherlands. In the last 25 years, she has been researching grazing, ecosystem services, grass and forage management, greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable production systems. She is leading the Working Group “Grazing” of the European Grassland Federation.

Leanne Bastiaansen-Aantjes is lecturer and researcher at Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten, the Netherlands. She has been part of the research team since 2017. Her main focus is on grazing and grassland management.

Fergus Bogue works at Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. Its mission is to support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and wider bio-economy that will underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability.

Michael O’Donovan, is Head of Grassland Science since 2008 in Teagasc, he has over 110 Peer Reviewed scientific publications in the area of Grassland. He is based at Teagasc Moorepark. He continues to promote efficient grassland management and utilisation as key practise for Irish and European grassland farmers.

Docteur ingénieur agronome de l’École nationale supérieure agronomique de Rennes, Christian Huyghe, directeur de recherche en génétique et amélioration des plantes de l’Inra, est aujourd’hui directeur scientifique Agriculture de l’Inra. Les problématiques liées à l’évolution des systèmes de production, mobilisant les leviers de la génétique et génomique animale et végétale, du biocontrôle et du numérique au service d’une agriculture multiperformante sont au cœur de sa mission, également enrichi par l’animation du partenariat avec les instituts techniques et les coopératives, la conduite de travaux sur l’innovation en agriculture et un investissement important sur Ecophyto. Il a publié plus de 80 articles scientifiques et rédigé une douzaine