Responsible

Abstract

See further information here: ECOVIT

Partners

Description

The project focuses on the integrity of the feeding regime in dairy herds and in the handling of disease. The focus on dairy herds allow us to focus on an optimization of the choice of crops and feeding strategy to improve selfsuffiency of vitamins and minerals and to work with health control without antibiotics based on experiences of well established farms with several years of organic experience.

The main objectives of the project are to improve the integrity of organic dairy farming by evaluating strategies for an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals to the dairy herd from organically grown feedstuffs and furthermore to improve the health of organic dairy cows without use of allopathic treatments.

The effect on vitamin (A, D, E) and mineral (Zn, Cu, Se) supply dependent on factors like crop type, soiltype, time of harvest, conservation and storage, and the composition of the ration is described. Strategies for supply of minerals and vitamins in dairy herds are evaluated, and finally the consequences of an integrated supply of vitamins and minerals on herd level are analysed through system analysis.

Financing