DIPARTIMENTO DI AGRONOMIA ANIMALI ALIMENTI RISORSE NATURALI E AMBIENTE ...

152 Pages·2015·3.52 MB·English

DIPARTIMENTO DI AGRONOMIA ANIMALI ALIMENTI RISORSE NATURALI E
AMBIENTE (DAFNAE)

SCUOLA DI DOTTORATO DI RICERCA IN
SCIENZE ANIMALI E AGROALIMENTARI
INDIRIZZO: PRODUZIONI AGROALIMENTARI
CICLO XXVII

TESI DI DOTTORATO

Dairy farming systems and environment in
mountainous areas

Direttore della Scuola: Ch.ma Prof.ssa Viviana Corich
Coordinatore d’indirizzo: Ch.ma Prof.ssa Viviana Corich
Supervisore: Ch.mo Prof. Giovanni Bittante
Co Supervisore: Prof. Enrico Sturaro

Dottorando: Francesco Zendri

Index

Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Riassunto .................................................................................................................................. 11
General introduction ................................................................................................................. 17
References .................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 1: Highland summer pastures play a fundamental role for dairy systems in
mountainous areas ............................................................................................... 35
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 36
Aim ................................................................................................................................ 37
Material and methods .................................................................................................. 37
Results ........................................................................................................................... 39
Discussion and conclusion ......................................................................................... 41
References .................................................................................................................... 43
Tables and figures ....................................................................................................... 46
Chapter 2: Transhumance of dairy cows to highland summer pastures interacts with breed
to influence body condition, milk yield, quality and coagulation properties,
cheese yield, and nutrient recovery in curd ......................................................... 49
Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 51
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 53
Material and methods .................................................................................................. 55
Results ........................................................................................................................... 64
Discussion .................................................................................................................... 71
Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 79
References .................................................................................................................... 81
Tables and figures ....................................................................................................... 91
Chapter 3: Environmental footprint of mixed breed dairy herds in mountainous areas:
cradle-to-gate LCA approach ............................................................................ 103
Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 105
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 107
Material and methods ................................................................................................ 110
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Study area and sampled farms................................................................................................. 110
Life Cycle Assessment ............................................................................................................. 111
Results ......................................................................................................................... 117
Discussion and conclusion ....................................................................................... 121
References .................................................................................................................. 123
Tables and figures ...................................................................................................... 129
Appendix ..................................................................................................................... 149
General Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 151

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Abstract

For several decades, the practice of farming in mountain areas has played a key role to
the proper management of the landscape, the conservation of the biodiversity as well as the
soil protection. Moreover, it has significantly contributed to the protection of those areas from
avalanches and fires, while at the same time it keeps reinforcing the local economy, thereby
acting as a counterweight to abandonment. The mountain animal husbandry is by definition
multifunctional and multidisciplinary. In fact, mountainous farming consists of a complex and
dynamic system. The harmony and the balance between human activities and nature requires
some of the most precious human skills, like patience, self-abnegation, endurance to
handiwork and frugality, to name some, but above all, love for mother nature. These are
characteristics that ensure continuity and vitality of the mountain for both humans and the
surrounding nature. In Italy, almost half of the total land is classified as mountainous (47.5%).
Nevertheless, farmers in mountainous regions (representing 30.9% of the national total) face
several limitations. These limitations, linked to the existence of natural handicaps, cannot be
easily overcome with investments. For example, in mountains the average temperatures are
lower, resulting in shorter vegetative period. Moreover, the excessive fractionation, the major
gradients and roughness of the lands and at the same time the lower fertility of soils, create
the need for special machinery (often more expensive than those used in mainland farms) as
well as increased labor and extra inputs for the farms. These factors can lead to a lower land
(and consequently farm) productivity, which can be translated into a limited competitiveness
of the mountain farms, compared to mainland. In addition, the difficulty of access and the
distance of individual dairy farms from the lowland as well as the fewer processing facilities
and their small size, create higher transportation costs and lower economies of scale.
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Thus, the overall objective of this thesis was to verify some parameters of
sustainability that are of great importance for animal husbandry in the mountain areas. The
province of Trento was selected as a model area for this type of research. More precisely, we
have analyzed the relationship between dairy farms and management of the Alpine pastures,
in the light of the environmental value of semi-natural grasslands. The first and second
contributions are related to this goal. In the last part a survey was carried out to assess the
environmental footprint of dairy farms of Trento province, focusing on innovative aspects of
nutrition and management of the animals bred.
More specifically, the goal of the first contribution was to analyze the role of the
mountain livestock sector. At a first step, data were collected from the Veterinary Services of
the province concerning the structures and the management of 395 Alpine summer pastures
either with cattle (83 with only heifers and 262 including dairy cows) or sheep and goats (50
summer pastures). All the heifers and more than one third of dairy cows that kept on
permanent farms of the province were brought to the temporary farms on the Alpine pastures
during the summer season, with a frequency greater for cows of local and dual purpose breeds
than specialized breeds (e.g. Holstein Friesian). Of the 610 permanent dairy farms associated
with the Provincial Federation of Farmers, we have analyzed the differences between the
dairy farms that move/do not move the lactating cows to Alpine summer pastures: i.e. the
traditional dairy farms (small and medium size), with tied stall, local breeds and with low
productivity, frequently using the summer pasture were compared to modern dairy farms of
the same province. Results showed that the practice of transhumance to summer pasture has
an important role for the dairy sector of Trento province, although the farmers changed the
reasons why they choose to move the animals. In fact, the role of grazing as production
support in the summer is relevant just for the traditional small and medium dairy farms, while
in all cases it is important to access public subsidies that are undifferentiated between
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lactating cows, dry cows and replacement. The study displayed the fact that there is still the
need to maintain the link between dairy farms and Alpine pastures, giving particular attention
to the quality of the pasture management and the multi-functionality of services that can be
provided by mountain farms.
The second part aimed in evaluating the effect of pasturing of dairy cows on milk
yield and quality. To this purpose, a many of traits was considered. Body Condition Score
(BCS), milk production and quality, milk coagulation properties, different set of parameters
and information relating to dairy processing were recorded and analyzed. In total, date
regarding 799 lactating cows were collected and analyzed during 2012 from 15 temporary
farms on Alpine summer pastures located in the region of Trentino. The cows were reared in
109 permanent dairy farms. Effects of the breed, parity and days in milk were taken into
account. The effects of Alpine summer pasture, and in particular of the amount of compound
feed given to cows, were also considered. Information was gathered not only during the
period that the cows spent at the Alpine summer pasture, but also before and after the alpine
season, with the objective to evaluate the changes due to the environmental changes. Results
showed that the summer transhumance had an effect more or less relevant in determining a
decrease in production, but also depending upon the breed. Specialized breeds, with higher
production levels in permanent dairy farms, suffer a greater drop in production than the local
and dual purpose breeds. This was somehow expected, since local breeds have a greater
adaptability and lower nutrients requirements.
Even the body condition score has been strongly influenced from the summer Alpine
pasture. A decline in the first phase of the pastures and a subsequent recovery at the end of the
pasture period was observed. Differences between breeds existed, with those specialized
breeds showing a greater decrease in body condition.
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After the return from the Alpine pastures a decline in the percentage of fat content in
milk (more evident in specialized breeds) was observed, while the protein content remained
constant. Regarding the technological properties of milk, significant differences were found
with the change of environment (after the reaching of temporary summer farms and after the
return to permanent farms). The major differences for lactodynamographic properties as well
as the individual cheese yields were observed between June and September. In summary, this
work highlighted the better adaptation of local and dual purpose breeds in the Alpine
environment and their good performance under environmental changes as well as the special
conditions of the farming system in summer pasture.
The last part of this thesis aimed to evaluate the environmental footprint of mountain
dairy cattle farms. The study was conducted in a specific area of the Province of Trento. Data
were collected from 38 dairy cattle farms of mixed breeds using different farming systems.
Data on the general farm management, diet, the production performance, the agronomic
management of the surfaces, the management of waste, and the energy consumption were
collected. A specific questionnaire was developed and tested to this purpose. This specific
questionnaire could also be used for further investigation in mountain region.
The above mentioned data were used to calculate the carbon footprint of the herds
using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The study included the entire product life,
i.e. from production of raw materials and their processing till the final product (the functional
unit was the kilogram of milk). All the inputs and outputs associated to the functional unit
were taken into account. Three categories of environmental impact of the farms were
considered: i) carbon footprint (contribution to the production of greenhouse gases), ii)
acidification and iii) eutrophication.
The values obtained for the three impact categories had large variability, with mean
and standard deviation equal to 1.46 ± 0.58 kg for CO equivalent (eq), 27.18 ± 8.34 g for SO
2 2
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eq. and 7.91 ± 2.31 g for PO 3- eq. per kg of milk (fat and protein corrected). The values
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obtained are comparable with previous studies carried out in mountain areas. The overall
impact was divided between on-farm and off-farm components, and was shared according to
mass allocation between milk and meat. Analysis of variance showed that the considered
effects of housing (free vs fixed) and feed administration (traditional vs TMR), even if
appeared statistically significant for some traits, slightly affected the high variability of the
impact categories that can be observed among different dairy farms of the same group. This
means that there are margins to mitigate the impact and increase the efficiency of farms with
different structures and management.
Overall, the results of the present thesis provided with some interesting insights on the
sustainability assessment of dairy farming systems in mountainous areas, adopting innovative
methodological approaches. Looking ahead, the results obtained from experimental
approaches could be expanded on a large pool of dairy farms to identify the indicators of
reference for the evaluation of the sustainability and multi-functionality of mountain farms.

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