Meadow Management Operational Group: Good agricultural practices in the management of mountain meadows
- Type Operational group
- Status In progress
- Execution 2024 -2027
- Assigned Budget 107.555,00 €
- Scope Autonómico
- Autonomous community Aragón
The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a manual of good agricultural practices for managing hay meadows in the Pyrenees, based on the results obtained from predictive simulation models for their cultivation.
The objectives set for this year for selecting the farms that will provide the initial data and for reviewing the predictive simulation models have been met. Calibration of these applications is currently underway.
Depending on the model ultimately selected, fieldwork will be carried out in the coming years to complete the parameters for which information is not available and which must be supplied to the model.
The aim is to improve the profitability of farms by developing a model of good practices that will allow them to:
- Knowing the optimal mowing times will improve quality and quantity, as well as enhancing species preservation.
- Determine the fertilization needs of mown meadows, adjusting applications to increase production, reduce pollution, and optimize profitability.
- Evaluate the ensilability of forage and determine whether it is better to ensile or hay, thus improving livestock nutrition and therefore economically optimizing farms.
- All of this will also help preserve the significant plant biodiversity currently found in the Pyrenees' meadows, reduce the risk of wildfires, and improve carbon sequestration, among other benefits.
The various activities planned to develop the predictive model that will lead to a manual of good agricultural practices for managing hay meadows in the Pyrenees are:
- Fieldwork design and selection of control farms and meadows.
- Forage sampling in pastures to obtain data on production, harvest extractions, and silage yield.
- Sampling of manure and slurry from livestock farms.
- Soil sampling from meadows.
- Analysis of forage, soil, manure and slurry samples.
- Calibration of the predictive model.
- Simulations of the predictive model and development of the best practices manual based on the analysis of all the results obtained.
To develop a manual of good agricultural practices to optimize the management of hay meadows in the Pyrenees based on the results obtained from predictive simulation models for their cultivation.
Management recommendations will include: mowing timing, fertilization, grass preservation methods, and grazing timing and stocking rate.
- Coordinator/entity name: Union of Farmers and Ranchers of Aragon (UAGA)
- Postal address: Calle Arias, 34, 50010, Zaragoza
- Coordinator/entity email: aelorriaga@uaga-aragon.com
- Telephone: 976352950
- Unión de Agricultores y Ganaderos de Aragón (UAGA)
- AGROPECUARIA DEL SOBRARBE S.C.L.(sclas@sclas.com)
- Unión de Agricultores y Ganaderos de Aragón (UAGA)
Related projects
