GrazyDaiSy: Innovative and sustainable grazing-based systems integrating cows and youngstock

Summary

Introduction
Organic animal rearing focuses on allowing animals to meet natural requirements, and considering a systems approach. There are still many knowledge gaps and areas – like separating cows and calves just after birth – where common practice do not match the organic principles fully. The project covers most European climate zones, from the coldest North to the hottest South.
GrazyDaiSy investigates how to manage mixed age groups of cows, including rearing calves with their dams, whilst maintaining a high level of health and a constant effort to minimize medication. Furthermore, we focus on implementing resilient grazing strategies to improve animal performance and decrease impacts on the ecosystem on and around the farm. However, we also address the special challenges of keeping older and younger animals together on grass.
The project aims to encourage grazing and improve grazing management, rearing cows and calves together, and minimizing medicine use.
Background
Specialized dairy production even on organic farms relies on imported concentrate feed and the possibility to use of antibiotics and anthelminthic. Most calves are removed from their dam within the first 24 hrs. after birth. All this happens despite emphasis on naturalness and letting animals meet their natural needs and become robust and resilient.
Main project activities
Identifying and improving relevant organic grazing strategies under different European conditions.
Researching on farm level, together with farmers, advisors and stakeholders.
Developing resilient animals and sustainable management systems to decrease medicine usage.
Aiming at considering animal rearing in a farming systems context and taking a holistic systems approach.
Exchanging knowledge and learning between European regions and countries.
Investigating the motivations and perceptions of farmers and their advisors.
Developing ways where cows and calves can bond, spend weeks of the milk-feeding period together, and de-bond gently afterwards.