Production et valeur nutritive des prairies permanentes dans les fermes productrices de fromages AOP du Massif Central en France

Permanent grassland production and nutritional value in AOP-certified dairy farms in the french Massif Central

Optimising the use of permanent grassland to feed herds requires determining its productivity and nutritional value, and gaining a better understanding of determining factors in connection with botanical composition. To this end, the production dynamics and nutritional value of 75 grassland areas were studied. All 75 grassland areas are representative of the different uses of grassland in dairy farming in the Massif Central. The grassland areas were divided into five groups : 4 groups essentially composed of grass species growing in fertile soil and one group essentially composed of grass species growing in infertile soil, and involving a nutrient conservation strategy. In the beginning of the spring the nutritional value of this last group was lower than that of the four other groups, but this value decreased at a lower rate over time. The proportion of legumes, which was rather low, improved nutritional value and stability throughout the spring in these grassland areas. This new data made it possible to quantify the agronomic and foraging potential of the types of grassland defined within the multifunctional typology of grassland in the Massif Central.