Important ingredient in rabbit and horse feed
What will the 2020/2021 lucerne harvest bring?
11.09.2020 – The drought of recent years led to variable harvests for various cereals. The lucerne harvest in France also recorded fluctuating results. A look at the current harvest campaign in Champagne - the main growing region in France - reveals whether the trend has turned this year.
Livestock keepers and farmers followed the lucerne harvest in France's northeast with excitement. Europe's largest lucerne growing region had already experienced variable years in 2018 and 2019. Low rainfall has led to a low harvest this year. This was the result of an evaluation of the first two cuts. The harvest volume of the 2020/2021 campaign thus remains below the 5-year average.
What actually is lucerne?
You can find out more about lucerne, its nutritional value and its importance for animal feed in the article "Lucerne meal" in our raw material encyclopaedia.
Alfalfa meal and chaff obtained from alfalfa is in demand as an important component, especially for feeding horses and rabbits. The feeds of our deukavallo, deukanin and deukavia brands also contain the nutritious crop. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the supply of horse and rabbit owners continues to be secured.
Did you know that..
almost 700,000 tonnes of alfalfa meal are produced and processed into pellets and bales in Champagne every year? This corresponds to approx. 85% of the total amount produced in France.
For lucerne-processing companies such as Désialis, cultivation remains of economic interest despite the changeable harvest results. After all, alfalfa - along with cereals, sugar beet and rapeseed - forms a central component of crop rotation and is thus jointly responsible for maintaining the natural balance of the environment. Désialis, which cultivates lucerne in cooperation with regional farmers, ensures the supply of lucerne pellets to horse and rabbit owners by adapting its distribution of lucerne meal pellets. Alfalfa bales and organic alfalfa pellets will continue to be distributed.
Conclusion
- Lucerne is an important component of rabbit and horse feeds.
- The 2020/2021 harvest is below the 5-year average.
- The supply of horse and rabbit owners is still secured.
Further links and documents
- Drought Monitor Germany
The drought monitor of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) provides daily area-wide information on soil moisture conditions in Germany.
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