Agroforestry for dairy cattle

Last updated on Dec 17, 2020
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This project aims to identify fodder trees and lianas for dairy cattle browsing. We study yield, nutritive value and appetence of 60 species in the OasYs experimental farm (Lusignan, France). Summer droughts and heatwaves affect more and more grassland production in western Europe. In concequence, farmers have to offer hay or silage to dairy cattle, at the expense of winter stocks. Ligneous species could be an interesting alternative for fodder production. Ligneous species were planted between 2014 and 2016, and trees were pollarded to be directly browsed by cattle.

Agroforestry
Geoffrey Mesbahi
Geoffrey Mesbahi
Grassland management and ruminant nutrition

My research mainly focus on the management of grasslands and the ruminants nutrition

Related

Publications

Rethinking grasslands in 3D: feeding preferences of dairy cows between temperate fodder trees

Planting fodder trees in grasslands increases vegetation diversity, reduces grassland vulnerability to climate change and provides …
Geoffrey Mesbahi, Audrey Jawahir, Mélissa Berthet, Cécile Ginane, Rémy Delagarde, Franck Chargelègue, Sandra Novak
PDF Project

Seasonal variation in the nutritive value of 16 temperate fodder tree species

Trees could help to reduce livestock production vulnerability to climate change by providing a fodder resource during periods of …
Geoffrey Mesbahi, Philippe Barre, Rémy Delagarde, Fabien Bourgoin, Romain Perceau, Sandra Novak
PDF Project