Native Protein Crops ✔
Development of a concept for the economic feeding use of grain legumes for cattle, pigs and chickens in Schleswig-Holstein in organic and conventional farming
Project description
Soy is a sought-after, protein-supplying animal feed in livestock farming, which is largely imported from overseas. However, intensive soy cultivation, for example in South America, is not without controversy. On the one hand, the large-scale slash-and-burn farming harms the climate and the animals and plants living there. On the other hand, the massive use of pesticides is ecologically questionable.
Against this backdrop, the operational group intensively examined the cultivation of native protein plants and their use in animal feed during the course of the project. The aim of the project was to promote the cultivation of grain legumes in both conventional and organic farming in Schleswig-Holstein and to sustainably expand the areas under cultivation. The focus was on field beans. To increase the feed value, the further development of a mobile expander system for the thermal treatment of the bean was driven forward. Another aim was to increase the energy content by shelling the field bean, which was tested in particular in piglet feeding.
Detailed results and a precise description of the project can be found in the final report and in the practice sheet.
