Description
In Emilia-Romagna Region, in Reggio Emilia Province, a farmer decided to modernize his farm management through a very innovative idea in the context of the Italian peninsula. His herd is composed mainly by Modenese breed, an autochthonous breed with a remarkable dairy attitude. The portions of proteins and fats in milk are 1:1, very important to produce Parmigiano reggiano di sola Modenese, moreover it has high level of fatty acids. The 70 hectares grassland are managed by rotational grazing. The grass/legume species used to established it are those commonly used in the area. Of the total surface, 30 ha are dedicated to mowed permanent grasslands, with Medicago sativa, Dactylis glomerata and Trifolium repens. The remaining 40 ha are grazed and are composed by Trifolium repens, Festuca arundinacea and Dactylis glomerata. The grazing area is overseeded every two years. The innovation concerns the utilization of a mobile milking parlour, used for lactating cows directly on the grazing area. This tool makes possible to milk cows without moving them to a traditional milking parlour and allowing them to graze freely in the paddock. Each time the area is grazed according to the expected livestock load, the farmer simply moves the fences to create a new paddock and the mobile milking parlour is also moved. Other advantages generated by this innovation are: the easier milking management, which is carried out directly in the field, the easier cleaning of the mobile parlour and also less udder problems (somatic cells, mastitis, etc).
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