Work package 3

Forages for productivity, quality, animal health and welfare in organic and low input dairy systems

WP leader: Marketta Rinne, Agrifood Research, dep. of  Animal Production Research, Finland.
Email: marketta.rinne@mtt.fi

Read the summary of deliverable 3.1: The Use of Novel and Under-Utilised Feed Resources in Organic and Low-Input Dairy Production: Summary, deliverable 3.1 SOLID

Objectives of Work package 3

The overall objective of this work package is to improve the competitiveness of organic and conventional low input dairy production systems by improving the health and welfare, the productivity and product quality of livestock in low input and organic systems through improving the supply of forage.

This will be achieved:

  • Improving the supply of nutrients from forages and by products through the use of novel feeds
  • Understanding the efficiency with which high forage diets are utilised by dairy cattle
  • Reducing risk and the provision of decision support systems for forage management and feeding.

Publications from WP3:

Rinne, Marketta; Dragomir, Catalin; Kuoppala, Kaisa; Marley, Christina; Smith, Jo and Yanez Ruiz, David (2012) Novel and underutilized feed resources – potential for use in organic and low input dairy production. In: Rahmann, Gerold and Godinho, D (Eds.) Agriculture and Forestry Research (362), pp. 404-407.

Smith, Jo; Leach, Katharine; Rinne, Marketta and Kuoppala, Kaisa (2012) Integrating willow-based bioenergy and organic dairy production – the role of tree fodder for feed supplementation. In: Rahmann, Gerold and Godinho, D (Eds.) Agriculture and Forestry Research (362), pp. 394-397.