Training: harvesting and sowing of prairie seeds

Yesterday in Ladignac-le-Long, the Park co-organized a day for farmers. On the program: the benefits of flower meadows and seeding techniques using locally harvested seeds.

In Périgord-Limousin, meadows are an integral part of the landscape and are generally intended for grazing or fodder production. However, due to the lack of an alternative, theThe use of commercial and poorly diversified seeds is now predominant for the seeding of these meadows. However, a different approach is possible and full of potential.

The many advantages of natural meadows

Flower meadows are natural meadows, i.e. unplowed, with a diversity and a significant density of flowers. Production of a quality fodder, best appetite, preservation of the biodiversity, health needs animal…the benefits of natural meadows are numerous. These environments also contribute to the fight against climate change because they store a significant amount of carbon in the soil, which must be preserved.

Due to the diversity of their vegetation, flower meadows are also less sensitive to climate change. They therefore represent a real opportunity toadaptation to rising temperatures, since their fodder production undergoes little variation, even during difficult years (drought or humidity).

Using wild and local seeds: a winning bet!

For all these reasons, farmers and environmental conservationists have a common interest in restoring and sow flower meadows. In this perspective, it is still theuse of wild species of local origin which allows to obtain the best results. Naturally adapted to the territory and therefore more resistant/resilient, these species are also more compatible with the local fauna and flora.

So how do you proceed? Sowing wild plants of local origin requires different steps, starting with the selection of so-called "resource" meadow plots from which the seeds will be taken. This is followed by drying, sorting and preserving the seeds, before sowing them on a new "receiving" plot.

Training to acquire the tools and know-how

So it is for to introduce farmers to this whole process, that the Park co-hosted a discussion time yesterday, in partnership with the National Botanical Conservatory of the Massif Central (CBNMC) and the Center for Initiatives to Promote Agriculture and the Rural Environment (CIVAM). Among the topics covered: assessing the maturity of a plot for harvesting, the different harvesting techniques using a mixture of local prairie seeds, and the stages of pre-cleaning and drying seeds.

During the day, participants also received the keys to design and use a meadow brusher, a relatively inexpensive and simple tool to make. The brusher allows the seeds to be harvested from a plot, without mowing it and without seriously affecting the forage yield (after haymaking). Historical experiences specify a ration of 2 ha of meadow to be brushed, for a seeding of 1 ha. Like the brusher "Pictagraine» experimental model designed by the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels de Nouvelle Aquitaine, other initiatives are emerging.

This day was part of the mandatory training courses for farmers receiving financial aid through the Agro-Environmental and Climate Measures (MAEC). All farmers and breeders in the area interested in the topic of prairie seeds and the empowerment of their production were also invited.