Benchmarking European permanent grassland production and utilization at national and regional levels

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: O’Donovan M., Elsaesser M., Peeters A., Hulin S. and Brandsma J.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Grassland benchmarking was defined within the EIP-Agri Focus Group ‘Permanent grassland’ as an important subject because within Europe there are differences in grass production between countries and within countries. As yet there has not been clear benchmarking of national grass dry matter production within EU member states. For the grassland community to advance forward with knowledge of how to increase and improve grass dry matter (DM) production, benchmarking and understanding national levels of grass DM production and their differences will be an important first step. The objective of this work is to benchmark real grassland data based on local and regional site conditions, to establish the reasons for differences in grass output, differences in botanical composition, grazing season length, ratio of grazing to cutting and finally to establish a clear view of the level of grazing intensity in different member states. The secondary objective is to establish which grassland tools will work at farm level, to ensure grassland technology are available to improve farmers grassland knowledge and efficiency.