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03.13.2023

How can meslin be used?

What exactly is meslin?

Meslin is a combination of plants comprising one or more grasses and one or more legumes. It provides fodder that is balanced in terms of protein, minerals and other necessary nutrients. It can also be used to produce biogas, thanks to its methane-producing properties.
 

What are the possible uses for meslin?

Meslin can be harvested as silage, silage wrap or grain for use as animal feed. Its balanced content of proteins, minerals and other nutrients makes it ideal for animal feed. But that's not its only possible use. 
Meslin can also be used in a variety of agricultural and energy operations for biogas production. It includes species that produce methane during methanisation, and can therefore be used to generate energy.
Its production improves the sustainability of farming systems by providing a crop rotation that reduces nutrient losses and soil diseases.
In short, meslin can be used in a variety of applications to improve food and energy production, while contributing to the sustainable development of farming systems.
However, there are 3 types of meslin, depending on how they are used:

  • Early meslin / catch crops: to produce fodder between 2 main crops (long intercropping)
  • Immature meslin: to produce forage while minimising exposure to the risk of summer drought
  • Grain: to produce energy- and protein-rich feed.

How can we grow meslin?

Early stage/Derosion = start of legume flowering (early May to mid-May) :

  • Harvest a forage rich in nitrogen and digestible fibre, an excellent complement to maize in a dairy cow ration.
  • Possibility of planting a second crop (maize, forage sorghum or summer catch crop)
  • Agronomic interest: better precedent for maize than Italian ryegrass.

SEE OUR RANGE: SHORT TERM MIX - WINTER FORAGE DEROBEE

Immature stage = milky or pasty grain of cereal (early June)

  • Fodder production over a favourable period (lower risk of water stress vs. non-irrigated in summer)
  • High yield, good balance of energy and protein, flexibility of use (silage, wrapping, hay)
  • Low fertilisation and maintenance requirements
  • Agronomic value of legumes in rotation

Grain stage (July)

  • Improve protein levels compared with a pure cereal crop, while achieving the same yield
  • Straw is enriched by the fodder produced by legumes
  • The agronomic benefits of legumes in rotation

 

How can meslin be used?

 

Early meslin / catch crop forage


Early meslin or forage catch crops are cereals and legumes harvested from early April to mid-May to produce fodder rich in nitrogen and digestible fibre, which is an excellent complement to maize in a dairy cow ration. It also allows a second crop to be planted: maize, forage sorghum, summer catch crop.
Lastly, early meslin has an agronomic advantage: it is a better predecessor to maize than Italian ryegrass.

At Cérience, you can find forage mixes that match these characteristics, such as M-BAPE, M-VALO and M-SPRINT.

 

Immature meslin
 

Immature cereals can be used to adjust forage stocks. Immature meslin is harvested at the milky or doughy grain stage of the cereal (early June). This gives a high yield and allows forage stocks to be replenished. It is also a crop that requires little fertilisation and maintenance. Lastly, it has an agronomic advantage when legumes are included in the rotation. 

On our site, several forage mixes meet these criteria: M-METEIL, M-EP, M-METEIL MONTAGNE, M-PROTEIQUE.


Grain meslin 
 

Harvesting at the grain stage, in July, will improve protein levels compared with harvesting pure cereals, while achieving the same yield. It can also be used to enrich straw with the fodder produced by legumes. Finally, it also has an agronomic interest, since it introduces legumes into the rotation. 
Mixtures such as M-EP, M-METEIL and M-PROTEIQUE can be harvested as grain.