04.07.2023 – 11:03
ARGE Heumilch
Mellau (ots)
In addition to the forest, the permanent grassland of the hay milk farmers makes a significant contribution to climate protection.
Healthy soils play an immensely important role in climate protection and biodiversity. “Soils are habitats for plants, animals and microorganisms. They produce food and animal feed, ensure clean drinking water, protect against flooding, store carbon, water and plant nutrients, and they provide energy and raw materials,” explains Dr. Andreas Bohner, environmental ecologist at HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein. Soil in large parts of Central Europe is 15,000 years old and is therefore one of the non-renewable resources. Whether a soil is of high quality depends, among other things, on the number of soil organisms living in it, the nutrients and its good aeration.
The hay milk farmers who use the grassland for grazing and mowing make a particularly important contribution to healthy soils. “Due to the careful and site-adapted management, the humus content in the soil increases naturally – up to eight percent depending on the site,” explains the soil expert. “This particularly nutrient-rich soil forms the basis for healthy plant growth, ensures biodiversity and safeguards a large number of biological and ecological soil functions.”
Soil: An effective CO2 store
Due to its high soil quality, grassland is one of the valuable CO2 sinks, i.e. ecosystems that absorb more carbon than they emit. These include, among other things, the forest and moors. In the upper soil layers, grassland binds around a third more carbon per hectare than arable land. Even more carbon is stored in the deeper soil layers of meadows and pastures than in an average forest soil, namely 196 t C/ha. Forest soil stores an average of 191 t C/ha, arable land is 149 t C/ha. The carbon stored in the soil cannot escape into the earth’s atmosphere, so no climate-relevant CO2 is produced.
Every hectare helps the climate
“For a long time, soil was seen as an inexhaustible resource that was taken for granted and in abundance,” says Bohner. This view leads to the irretrievable loss of huge areas every year. “Unfortunately, when planning the room, no attention is paid to whether the floor is of high or less good quality and sealed,” adds Andreas Bohner.
This has consequences: soils in poor condition are not only able to store far less CO2, they are also not as resilient when floods or droughts occur. At the same time, valuable habitat for insects, birds and small game is lost with the loss of soil. On the other hand, insects and small game find food and shelter in the meadows and pastures of the hay milk farmers.
“With their sustainable management, the hay milk farmers contribute to climate protection by tending and maintaining the permanent grassland in the annual cycle. The meadows and pastures are managed in a mosaic-like manner, thus protecting biodiversity, and the valuable soils are used conscientiously and thus remain as carbon stores. In this way, the valuable permanent grassland is preserved for the hay milk cows and for future generations,” sums up Christiane Mösl, Managing Director of ARGE Heumilch.
Further information on sustainability and animal welfare at: www.heumilch.com/nachhaltigkeit bzw.: https://www.heumilch.com/urgut-zur-natur/kuhwohlinitiative/
About the hay milk
ARGE Heumilch is number 1 in the production and marketing of hay milk in Europe. The members of the ARGE work according to strict regulations, compliance with which is monitored by independent, state-certified bodies. Only products with the Heumilch logo meet these very strict regulations. The special way of farming was awarded the EU seal of approval gtS – guaranteed traditional specialty – for cow’s milk in 2016 and for sheep’s and goat’s milk in 2019. Heumilch GTS stands for special protection for even more quality and authenticity. In Europe, less than 3% of the milk produced meets the criteria for hay milk.
Hay farming is the most original form of milk production. Adapted to the course of the seasons, hay milk cows spend every summer on local meadows, pastures and alpine pastures, where a variety of juicy grasses and herbs grow. In winter the animals are provided with hay. As a supplement, they receive grain meal. Digested fodder such as silage is strictly prohibited. All products are controlled GMO-free.
The hay milk regions are mainly in the Alps, where hay farming has been a tradition for centuries. The main production areas are Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Styria, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
ARGE Heumilch on the Internet: www.heumilch.com, www.facebook.com/heumilch.at and www.instagram.com/heumilch
“Enjoy, it’s from Europe” – The European Union supports ARGE Heumilch and its campaign to strengthen and promote sustainably produced and high-quality agricultural products.
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Original content from: ARGE Heumilch, transmitted by news aktuell