Description

Practice abstract

Reducing variable costs and improving milk yield and quality are the objectives of farmers who sell their sheep milk to industries/cooperatives and receive a payment based on milk quality. Forage mixtures based on complementary functional groups and self-reseeding species can help to meet these objectives. A functional group includes species that share the same characteristics within a mixture, i.e. legumes (L), grasses (G) or herbs (H). Self-reseeding species can regenerate dense stands in the following years without soil tilling, as long as animals are excluded from grazing from the beginning of flowering till seed falling in the soil (3-4 months) in the establishment year. A six-species three-functional group-based mixture was sown in a Mediterranean farm. The forage species had local origin and were well adapted to the soil pH (7.1): self-reseeding rigid ryegrass (G); self-reseeding burr medic and subterranean clover, and the short-lived perennial Italian sainfoin (L); perennial plantain and chicory (H). Rigid ryegrass quickly covers the soil after seeding. Annual legumes are high-quality species for winter and early spring, and suitable to heavily grazing by sheep. Italian sainfoin is highly productive in drought-prone conditions, contains moderate levels of condensed tannins which mitigate methane emission and boosts milk production. Finally, plantain and chicory are tap-rooted drought-tolerant perennial plants rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories and contribute to the control of gastrointestinal parasites in lambs and sheep. These biodiverse mixtures contribute to reduced use of fertilisers, chemicals and agricultural inputs and improved milk quality and cheese yield. 

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