Systems for harvesting field-cured hay in a cheese-producing region of Eastern France

摘要

In Eastern France, where cheese with pressed and cooked curds are produced, a large number of farms still rely on field-cured hay for winter feeding. A typical farm covers 70 ha, 60 of which are under grass; milk production amounts to 220 000 I, giving a gross surplus above 350 000 F. The area cut for hay at first cut is 35 ha, that for aftermath 25 to 30 ha. The cost of harvest and round bale storage is about 450 F/t, when the equipment is individual. Sometimes round baling is a complement to barn drying; this entails an extra cost of 126 F/t in case of an individual equipment, of 50 F/t in case of a shared one. When the harvesting machinery is used in a mutual assistance scheme (CUMA), the cost is lowered by 200 F/t. This option may, constitute a promising solution for the farmers.