Pasture improvement and forage autonomy in Aveyron livestock farm

A 312-head dairy goat farm in Aveyron, France, improved forage autonomy and pasture quality from 2019 to 2022 with EAFRD and Occitanie region funding. Initial pasture composition was 72% temporary pastures, 13% immature forage, with 58% rough forage autonomy. The project introduced long-duration pasture mixes and forage crop integration, planting a Swiss mix of perennial grasses (ryegrass, fescue, red fescue) that yielded 4.5 TMS/ha despite poor soil. By 2021, 73% of land was used for temporary pastures, with reduced concentrate use (345 kg/goat/year) and improved milk quality (total solids rose from 32.6 to 37.6 g/L). Milk production per goat remained low, but production costs per 1,000 litres dropped from €1,052 to €766, and gross margins rose to €327/1,000 litres. A cheese-making facility was planned to increase income. Feed autonomy remained at 58% for rough forages and 2% for concentrates by 2022.