Can a low input system be part of the solution for future milk production?
Project overview
Participants
Short summary
This project examines how low vs. high forage inclusion in Swedish dairy production affects animal health, welfare, profitability, and environmental sustainability, and explores the barriers and drivers farmers experience with these feeding strategies.
Feed accounts for the largest share of resource use in dairy production, and forage is the feed component that Swedish dairy farms are most able to produce themselves. It is therefore essential to understand how variations in forage inclusion affect production, animal health, and sustainability in Swedish dairy herds. The project compares dairy farms with high and low forage inclusion, defined according to the proportion of forage in the diet.
High forage inclusion: more than 65% forage
Low forage inclusion: less than 55% forage
A high-forage feeding system is characterised by greater use of farm-produced resources such as grass and legume forage, cereals, protein crops, and pasture. By increasing the proportion of forage in the diet, farms can improve their level of self-sufficiency and reduce their vulnerability to disruptions in global supply chains.
At the same time, a low-forage feeding system may result in higher milk yields per cow due to a greater proportion of concentrates in the diet. The project therefore examines both the opportunities and limitations associated with different forage strategies, as well as the barriers and drivers that dairy farmers experience when choosing between high and low forage inclusion.
Reference Group
- Niels Andresen (Hushållningssällskapet's intensive advisory service in Skåne / SLU Centre for Organic Food and Farming)
- Johanna Karlsson (Växa)
- Kjell Sjödahl-Svensson and Cecilia Lenback (KRAV)
- Rolf Spörndly (Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare)