After the heat wave
On the mountain pastures, the rains did not wash all the fears of the peasants
This week’s precipitation was almost saving for the already rushed pastures. But the weather in July will be decisive.
Pierre-François Mottier, farmer at L’Étivaz and president of the Vaudoise alpine economy company.
Laurent de Senarclens
- The mountain pastures of the Jura underwent an early drought with the grass already Roussie in June.
- In a heat wave, cows consume twice as much water, more than 100 liters daily.
- The rains of the last days have made it possible to rebalance the level of sources and watering.
- The exceptional harvest of hay in the plain reassures the breeders, if they were to be forced to descend their cattle prematurely.
In the rain of this start of the week, Philippe Germain has regained morale. In his pasture of the beer meadow, observing the Roussie grass by the heat wave of the past few weeks, the farmer recognizes that he and his colleges have been hot – this is the case to say – before the drop in temperatures recorded in recent days.
“In principle, drought falls on us much later,” he explains. There, on the rocky ridges, it is already completely red. For the moment, we hold it up and this rain is good, but we notice that we have to turn more quickly in the parks. ”
Philippe Germain, farmer from Saint-George whose cattle are located at the Beer Pré, towards the Col du Marchairuz.
Chantal Dervey/Archives 24 heures
Indeed, the weather conditions in June and early July were enough to interrupt the growth of vegetation. In the Jura, the grass dries quickly and therefore becomes less appetizing for herds.
Free fall sources level
The pressure exerted by three weeks of heat wave on the mountain pastures was important. Under these conditions, cows drink twice as much water as usual, more than a hundred liters per day.
President of the Vaudoise alpine economy company And a farmer at the Étivaz, Pierre-François Mottier was worried, at the end of last week, to see the sources and the watering pools at a level “which is generally reached in mid-August”.
Pierre-François Mottier was worried, at the end of last week, to see sources and watering pools at a level “which is generally reached in mid-August”.
Laurent de Senarclens
“I realized that my colleagues were particularly vigilant and were careful to preserve their reserves,” he raises. Usually, it is not really necessary in June. But there, it was also necessary to take into account a dry winter, with almost no snow from January to March. ”
Since the dryness periods Finitles regularly, the solutions had to be identified to compensate for the lack of blue gold. “It is a long -term work carried out for twenty years,” said Norbert Penel, a farmer of Montricher. We multiply the water points where to store water during the winter in order to redistribute it in summer, we install tanks to recover the water from the roofs … “
July the weather will be crucial
Although the cows have found, for a few days, a reasonable water consumption pace, the observation of the alpagists contacted is clear: the weather in the month of July will be decisive. Regular precipitation is hoped for, but it is above all a little freshness that the peasants expect. “For us, it is the hot weather, which are really unfavorable,” says Norbert Penel.
In the Pays-d’Enhaut, pastures dry less quickly than in the Jura. The grass remains more appetizing for cows.
Laurent de Senarclens
It is impossible, therefore, to predict today how the summer season will end. “We live on a daily basis with global warming and adaptations are different from one farmer to another, according to his geographical position,” underlines Maurice Treboux, at the Combe des Amburnex. We advance one day after the other against random weather. ”
Run the summer season?
The catastrophic scenario, that of having to descend the animals prematurely, does not currently make the profession tremble. But everyone remains on their guard. “Twenty years ago, this is a question that we did not even ask ourselves,” says Norbert Penel, also a member of the Mont-Tendre alpine union. It is never an easy choice to make, especially since it is a decision that takes place during an assembly. ”
At a time when summers are more and more tightlivestock management has become a major concern for the alpine economy. “It is obvious that we cannot go down a hundred head of cattle during the complicated weeks in terms of vegetation, then go up them at the end of the summer to the fall,” notes Pierre-François Mottier. You have to make sure to pass this difficult period. ”
A reassuring aspect lies in the excellent Hay Harm Harm performed in the plain. “The barns are largely full thanks to an exceptional spring,” says Pierre-François Mottier. If we had to go down, we have the guarantee of having fodder in abundance. ”
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