Agroscope Looking for Suitable Cattle Breeds to Maintain Alpine Pastures
When mountain pasture use is sub-optimal, scrub runs rampant and biodiversity is lost. In this SRF Einstein broadcast of 23/10, Agroscope researcher Caren Pauler talks about her search for cattle breeds that maintain alpine pastures.
Modern high-yield cows cannot make adequate use of very steep land and consume only the most palatable plants. This is one of the main reasons why scrub runs rampant in alpine pastures and biodiversity is lost. Animal welfare and profitability also suffer.
TV report on 23 October
The SRF Einstein broadcast on 23 October deals with the issue of which cattle breeds could put an end to bush encroachment on Swiss mountain pastures. Agroscope’s ‘PeaMaps’ project is looking inter alia for animal-friendly, sustainable solutions on experimental plots in Graubünden. Further information can be found at the attached links.
Index
Read more
The Right Cow for the Alp - PeaMaps
Influence of Dairy Cow Productivity on the Ecosystem, Profitability and Animal Welfare in the Summering Area
Grazing behaviour of cattle breeds
Low-input pastures, among them many mountain and alpine pastures, are the most species-rich habitats in Switzerland. Centuries of grazing by cattle, sheep and goats have created open grassland, which offers habitat to numerous plants and animals.
WhatsApp channel for practitioners
Aimed at agricultural practitioners, the information is shared on our WhatsApp channels 'Agroscope_fr' (French) and 'Agroscope_de' (German).