The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2013 - Issue 30 | Page 15

ARABLE EBLEX French tour studies lucerne potential Investigating the potential of lucerne as a forage crop was the aim of an EBLEX study tour to France in August. The visit, which was organised by EBLEX and part-funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) involved nine English grassland producers, most of whom are already lucerne growers, together with forage experts from EBLEX, DairyCo and British Seed Houses. The group visited farms in the Poitou-Charentes region, as well as a lucerne breeding facility owned by Jouffray-Drillaud, a French seed house which hosted the visit. Lucerne, also known as alfalfa, is the world’s most popular forage crop and is grown on 30 million hectares of land globally, with 64% of total production taking place in North and South America. A legume which is known for its high yield, good nutritional value and drought-resistant properties, lucerne has undergone a renaissance in France in recent years, with 300,000 hectares grown across the country, compared with around 20,000 hectares in the UK. The study tour visited five dairy cow and dairy goat farms where lucerne is being used as a forage crop, giving the English farmers the opportunity to question their French counterparts in detail about their production systems and their use of lucerne. At the Saint Sauvant breeding station, the group saw trial plots of new lucerne varieties and learnt more about its benefits as a forage crop. EBLEX livestock scientist Liz Genever said: “Alternative forages have become an increasingly hot topic in recent years, as the unpredictable weather has made grass shortages a reality and has given producers the impetus to investigate other options. “Lucerne isn’t suitable for every situation as it doesn’t grow well in wet, heavy soils, but there is definitely scope to increase our production. I believe we can realistically double – or even treble – the amount we’re currently growing. “As a result of this study tour, we will be providing practical advice to beef and sheep farmers on how best to grow and utilise this crop. Hopefully this will give more producers the confidence to trial it on their own farm.” Middlesborough Franks Curtis www.frankscurtis.co.uk Sales • Parts • Service Richmond Thirsk ‘THE MASSEY FERGUSON DEALERSHIP FOR YORKSHIRE & THE NORTH ?MP??`()!??????()]????)M???????)???? ????)????????????????()e??()=?????????????????????????????????????????????????5????????????5?!?????Q??????????A???????)?????????????????????)5??? ?????????????????)????????????????)???? ????1?) ????????%???A??)-????5???????)5????)8??e?????)e