Permanent_grasslands

Trade-offs among grass-based veal production systems along an altitudinal gradient

Developing grass-based veal production from male dairy calves may offer a low-input and welfare-oriented alternative, particularly in organic systems. While previous studies reported significant univariate differences between farming systems, it …

Validation of a Noseband Sensor for Measuring Grazing Behaviour in Veal Calves

There are potential benefits for grazing calves concerning animal welfare, resource efficiency, and ecosystem services compared to conventional indoor systems. However, enteric methane production in grazing calves might be an environmental challenge …

Performance of male dairy calves of different breeds raised on various types of grasslands for veal production

Pasture-based veal production offers potential benefits in terms of animal welfare and resource efficiency compared to conventional indoor systems. This study evaluated the performance of 72 male veal calves from three breeds: Brown Swiss, Brown …

Agroforestry: benefits and considerations to meet the challenges of organic livestock production

Agroforestry is an age-old agroecological practice with a promising future, and it has the potential to be a major ally in the development of organic farming. Animals have much to gain from living in the shade of trees and eating their leaves and …

L’agroforesterie : atouts et points de vigilance pour répondre aux défis de l’élevage bio

Pratique agroécologique à la fois ancestrale et d’avenir, l’agroforesterie a le potentiel pour être une alliée de poids dans le développement de l’agriculture biologique. En effet, les animaux ont beaucoup à gagner à évoluer à l’ombre des arbres, et …

Production and replacement costs of permanent grasslands compete with those of sown grasslands

Farmers’ endorsement is crucial to conserve biodiversity in permanent grasslands, but the lack of visibility on their economic value is a major obstacle. We studied the production costs (i.e., the cost to produce one Mg of dry matter) and the …

Taxonomic and functional biodiversity positively influence agronomic characteristics of permanent grassland

European permanent grasslands are the main source of livestock fodder and the main hotspot of botanical diversity, but the trade-offs between fodder production and botanical diversity conservation remain debated. This study aims to identify what …

Trade-offs between services rendered by the semi-natural grasslands of the Vosges massif (France)

Grasslands are at the heart of multiple expectations on the part of farmers and society. The objective of this study was to assess the services provided by semi-natural grasslands, and the trade-offs between these services. Starting from a survey of …

Trade-offs between yields, forage quality and botanical diversity in permanent grasslands of the Vosges Mountains in France

Assessing trade-offs between forage production and ecological characteristics delivered by grasslands is a growing concern for stakeholders and scientists. We sampled 50 grasslands from the Vosges Mountains (north-eastern France), and measured the …

Facial area and hairiness of pollinators visiting semi-natural grassland wild plants predict their facial pollen load

Consequences of a decline in pollination function in semi‐natural ecosystems are largely unknown due to variability in pollinator effectiveness, that is, their contribution to pollen deposition alone. While pollination effectiveness has been shown to …