Producing Protein-Rich Forage Crops

Technical articles - Protein autonomy, Diversification

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Alfalfa field in Dordogne, France.

Forages are the main source of feed in livestock farming. It is therefore essential, within the framework of protein autonomy, to turn to forages rich in protein. The question then arises as to the choice of these forages to cultivate in order to cover the protein needs of the animals.

Protein production per unit area for different crops

	Alfalfa	Rapeseed	Sunflower	Pea	Wheat
Yield (t/ha)	13	3	2.36	5	7
Protein (kg/ha)	2600	567	502	1150	700

Forage legumes

PDIE and PDIN of the presented legumes (g/kg DM)

	Alfalfa	Red clover	White clover	Sainfoin	Vetch
PDIE	90	90	100	100	100
PDIN	130	120	150	100	150

Alfalfa

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is mainly used pure for mowing and possibly dehydration. But it can also be grazed when incorporated in a multi-species mix or at the end of the season. In association with Orchardgrass or brome, it can be used in multiple ways. Indeed, alfalfa will reach the same potential as in pure stand because it explores different root horizons than orchardgrass or brome, and therefore does not compete with them. It has a high yield potential and resists drought and high temperatures. While it tolerates drying soils, it cannot develop in compacted soils or in conditions of excess water. It also has difficulty establishing in acid soil. It allows diversification of crop rotation by targeting healthy and deep soils. Alfalfa cultivation produces highly ingestible/digestible and protein-rich forages. However, it should be avoided if there is labor shortage as delegation is very costly.

Red clover

Red clover shares several advantages with alfalfa. It is indeed also a low-input crop. It is a legume, so it does not require mineral fertilization and allows nitrogen restitution to the following crop. It also requires few phytosanitary treatments because red clover is more aggressive than alfalfa at establishment and thus more competitive against weeds. Like alfalfa, it fears periods of drought. Unlike alfalfa, red clover establishes better in acid soil. In association with a grass, no weeding is necessary and this ensures better harvest quality. Although difficult to dry, it is better suited for silage than alfalfa. It provides a good protein supply but the energy density is too low.

White clover

For animal feed, the main interest of White clover lies in its very good nutritional value due to its high protein content, palatability and digestibility. Moreover, it is very rich in minerals and trace elements. These qualities make it an ideal plant for grazing.

However, white clover is a bloating forage. Therefore, as with alfalfa and red clover, it is recommended to grow it in association with grasses.

Sainfoin

Sainfoin

Sainfoin is a legume that copes well with dry and poor soils thanks to its deep root system. In addition to drought resistance, cold and frost pose no problem. Sainfoin offers high-quality and non-bloating forage. It is balanced in energy and protein, and is also palatable and highly digestible.

Sainfoin thrives on calcareous soils but dislikes wet, clay or acidic soils. It is also low input in terms of fertilizer and phytosanitary products.

Vetch

Vetch is not very sensitive to drought and is a palatable forage. No weeding or treatment is needed, and it has a high protein content. While grazing is ideal, it can be fed as green fodder with care to avoid heating of the forage. It can also be used for wrapping (haylage). For silage, there are significant juice losses, so it is not recommended unless straw or dry pulp can be added.

Other forage crops

PDIE and PDIN of the presented forage crops

	Forage cabbage	Forage beet	Orchardgrass
PDIE	100	86	65
PDIN	105	62	110

Forage cabbage

Forage cabbage allows diversification of the winter ration. It is mainly used in dairy production for its high digestibility and nitrogen richness but can also be used in suckler herds. Forage cabbage must be fed as a supplement to another coarse forage to prevent digestive problems. Silage is possible but a significant juice loss is expected. However, silage can save the crop in case of frost.

Forage beet

Forage beet is very well utilized by dairy cows and fattening cattle. For pigs, it can make up to 40% of the ration for gestating and finishing pigs. For milk production, it is the ideal palatable feed to combine with hay for rumination and requires a protein supplement for "energy-nitrogen" balance. It is better to avoid varieties with too high dry matter content (> 13% DM). The dentition of cattle does not always allow good consumption.

Orchardgrass

Orchardgrass

Orchardgrass is one of the most perennial forage grasses. Widely used in France, orchardgrass is well adapted to regions with dry summers, although it also grows well in fresh and healthy soils. With mixed use in mowing and grazing, it provides abundant regrowth even in dry and hot conditions, making it ideal for summer grazing. It is the grass with the highest protein content and works perfectly in association with alfalfa or red clover for mowing. However, orchardgrass is sensitive to excess water and quite sensitive to cold during establishment.

Seeding rates depending on the mixture with orchardgrass

Seeding rate (kg/ha)	Orchardgrass	Legume
Pure stand	20 to 25	-
Alfalfa	4 to 7	15 to 18
Diploid red clover	6 to 8	12 to 15
Giant white clover	20	3 to 4

Increasing the share of mixtures: forage mixtures

When nitrogen fertilization is limited, it may be interesting to use a grass-legume mixture, a mixed crop, which allows maintaining productivity and protein content thanks to atmospheric nitrogen fixation by legumes. The legume does not directly provide protein to the associated grass, but the senescence of its roots and nodules increases nitrogen input to the soil, thus benefiting the associated grass. The mixture also allows a better distribution of forage production throughout the year. Legumes have a higher summer forage production. However, balance in the mixture is difficult to manage, as it depends notably on the competitive ability of the species used.

Mixed crops remain a real lever to increase protein production on the farm while limiting costs related to fertilization and nitrogen leaching losses in the soil.

Stéphane Aissaoui collected the testimony of Anton Sidler, a breeder in Normandy who uses mixed crop and grass to feed his herd all year round; besides economic advantages, this practice has a significant impact on herd health.

Temporal resource spreading strategies

In cattle farming, resource spreading strategies differ depending on calving management.

• Autumn calving: importance of harvested forages.
  • Grass does not grow during this period of high demand.
  • Reliance on quality conserved forage harvest.
  • More mown area needed, earlier (wrapping, silage).

• Spring calving: more grazing.
  • Grass growth peak coincides with high demand.
  • Females are dry in summer and autumn.
  • Supplementation with conserved feed for control (sheep).

There are two ways to adjust feeding:

• Adjust forage availability to needs: stockpiling, diversification of grazed areas, irrigation (for part of the areas only).

• Adjust herd needs to available forage: herd sizing, breed choice, species choice, choice of reproduction period(s), allotment (herd diversification).

Forage supplements

Woody plants

If the farmer has an agroforestry system or digestible woody resources, animals can be grazed.
Woody plants notably help strengthen the feed autonomy of farms and secure the livestock system against climatic hazards. Woody plants diversify feed availability throughout the year. Animals can graze edible parts directly (buds, flowers, leaves, fruits, young shoots…) or graze fallen fruits and leaves on the ground. It is also possible to pollard to cut trees branches in late summer/early autumn and feed them fresh or store them dry to distribute several months later. Exposure must be gradual so animals learn to eliminate present toxins.

Cover crops

It is possible to graze animals on cover crops to valorize them. Cover crops consist of young plants which have high nutritional values. Animals can be introduced without dietary transition.

Opinion of Bruno and Bertrand Barbet, dairy farmers:

"Establishing catch crops covers the soil in winter and thus limits nitrogen leaching and soil erosion. Moreover, this year we were able to make a cut at eight weeks, then a grazing in November and finally silage in spring (4.5 – 5 t DM/ha). This crop secures our forage stock."

[[|link=Introduction of cover crops to avoid glyphosate use and have an additional forage source|220px|class=card-img]]

Introduction of cover crops to avoid glyphosate use and have an additional forage source

Our series of guides on protein autonomy

• Autonomie en protéines
• Appréhender les besoins protéiques des ruminants
• Valoriser les prairies pour accroitre l'autonomie protéique
• Produire des cultures fourragères riches en protéines
• Produire et consommer localement des concentrés protéiques
• Transformer et stocker les ressources alimentaires protéiques

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