Sounds like a commercial for a world-saving agri-additive? It really isn’t. It just reflects some of the advantages you get when you base your forage production on a multi-species blend containing grasses, herbs, and legumes.
There is an ongoing movement to implement the so-called “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA) into modern food production. Big companies, such as Nestlé, Unilever, General Mills, PepsiCo, Carlsberg, and many more all line up to follow the trend. Ambitions to transform millions of hectares into this agricultural practice before 2030 are backed up by economic incentives and various supportive tools.
While there is no stringent definition of RA, there is a general agreement that it comprises most of the following elements:
- Improving soil health by increasing organic matter and biodiversity in the soil
- Carbon sequestration through methods like cover cropping and reduced tillage
- Increasing biodiversity both above and below ground
- Enhancing water retention and reducing erosion
- Minimizing chemical inputs (like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides)
- Integrating livestock in holistic or rotational grazing systems
Implementing these practices into a cash crop program is not easy, as weeds and diseases can no longer be kept at bay by chemical means. But for milk- and meat production it is an entirely different matter as several tools are already at hand.
One of them is the multispecies forage blend. It comes in different shapes, but the dominant species are: Perennial ryegrass, Festulolium, White or Red clover, Chicory, and Plantain and tailored blends are made with up to 14 different species. Grasses form a solid yield base, and they benefit from the nitrogen provided by clovers through biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Inclusion of clovers into a grass sward will easily save 150 kg N pr. hectare and serve the extra benefit of improving forage digestibility, which eventually reduces enteric methane emissions.
Chicory and plantain are deep-rooted stress-tolerant forage types and secure a robust production during dry summers. Back in 2022 under the summer drought, we reported on the yield-savings for Irish farmers who included these herbs in their pastures. One particular plantain, AgritaiN® has gained particular interest as it has proven to decrease nitrogen leakage substantially. Both herbs provide valuable minerals and have anthelmintic properties, thus improving animal welfare considerably.
In some countries it has already been standard practice to use clover-grass swards. Farmers in these countries need not to change much to upgrade their management to RA. Farmers growing grass in monoculture will need to learn how to fertilize adequately to balance the inter-species competition in the multi-species sward. The great aspect of this transformation is that they will appreciate the many benefits waiting to be enjoyed: Better animal health, more milk in the bucket, a significantly improved soil structure, a richer soil microbiome, likely an economic reward from the dairy company, and if they leave a corner of their sward uncut or un-grazed, they will also stimulate insect biodiversity. This transformation is not costly (rather opposite), it will have big positive impacts on climate, environment, soil- and animal health.
We should all support it.
