Cattle farms usually for most of their land rely on pastures. Most cattle breeders do not have sufficient cereal land areas to have enough straw for winter (with cows in livestock buildings). With grain markets that are very unstable, straw access can be difficult, both for volumes and prices.
Description of Innovation
2011 was a dry year in Burgundy (France), and several cattle breeders, had difficulties to find straw on markets.
They decided to work all together and contacted arable crop famers from a cereal productive plain, to plan straw markets together for several years.
As it was a success, next year (even with no climate difficulties), they decided to find other cereal producers’ partners, and the group got larger and larger.
The agreement is as follow:
- Cattle breeders buy all straw from their partner (cereal producer) each year
- They come and harvest the straw (compact, wrap, and travel) as far as possible to free the land for the next crop (depending on climate of course but less than 2 weeks is possible)
Volumes and prices are agreed in the beginning of the year, with less fluctuations than free market prices
As the partnership runs for sometime, there is trust between the producers. So that when there is a climate alert, they can find solutions together. For example, 2018-2019 were once again very dry, sothey agreed on maize straw exchange: maize straw which is usually ploughed back to soil was dried and conditioned as straw for cattle
Impact on farm performance
- Better anticipation of supplying
- Less price variations for straw
- Better adaptability
- Better quality homogeneity
- Work in group boosting technical efficiency and co-learning
Audio-visual material
The following video shows harvesting and harvesting straw:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GIT-NbzVrjpSEz9a-El1jG2mVvs9xr6z/view?usp=sharing
Farmer comment (for Good Practices)
Michel Joly: “Since we started this challenge with the group, we improved the way we work together. It is far easier to manage my supply of straw, and I have a better visibility on the price, which is better for a better quality. Climate problems happen more often and this agreement with the cattle breeders is an insurance for supplying and bring us other solutions”.
Further information
https://www.fdsea68.fr/dossier-elevage/une-bourse-aux-fourrages-une-solution-pour-cerealiers-et-eleveurs/