Sustainable farm-based protein for organic dairy cows

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The UK relies heavily on imported soya to supply protein for livestock feed. This has major environmental impacts in terms of the fuel used to transport the soya and also the sustainability of soya production in those countries. The heavy reliance on soya imports also exposes the UK to risk when supply is limited, for example by drought. The aim of the project is to identify the most appropriate protein crops and to grow these in sufficient quantity/quality to meet the needs of the dairy cows. In doing so, the aim is to reduce the environmental impact associated with feeding the cows by creating a sustainable, home-grown supply.This project will use a combination of field experiments at the University of Nottingham and field-scale plots in Nottinghamshire and Cornwall to determine the feasibility of growing on-farm protein crops for use in organic dairy cow rations. At the University we will test a range of crops and intercrops at different stages of maturity, assessing the nutritional value at each stage. On farm we will focus on the agronomic management of the crops, especially weed and pest control. Both farms are organic and hence weed and pest control are especially challenging.One of the innovative aspects of the project will be the use of a solar powered robot to plant and weed the crops. While the weeding robots are becoming established in vegetable crops, their use in arable crops has yet to be tested. We will evaluate the success of establishment and weed control when using the robot compared to current practice. If successful this should both reduce weed competition/improve yields and reduce environmental impact by moving away from the reliance on cultivations to control weeds in organic crops.The project will assess the sustainability and environmental impact of replacing imported soya with home-grown protein including a full carbon audit which will demonstrate the contribution in terms of moving to net-zero emissions.Farmer engagement days will be held during the growing season of both project years and workshops will be held in Nottinghamshire and Cornwall to disseminate project findings. While the project is initially focussed on organic production, the results will also be applicable to conventional farmers who wish to move away from imported soya.