Formative project for characterization and implementation of zootechnical activity in Valvestino area

Prof. Erminio Trevisi

President, Cerzoo Srl - Research Center for livestock and environment
Full Professor in Animal Science, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, Piacenza and Cremona

Background

Lombardy is the most important Italian region for the milk production, with the 34,9% of Italian dairy cows breeders, many of them are concentrated in the mountain areas, especially the provinces of Brescia, Bergamo, and Sondrio, which are characterized by the production of many types of cheese with the Protected Denomination of Origin (DOP). The dairy transformation allows to obtain typical products appreciated by the consumers and a higher remuneration for the makers, so the exploitation of these products can support the resilience of the marginal mountain areas, where agriculture is linked mostly to zootechnics, which is fundamental in order to guarantee a safeguard of the territory and the conservation of the typical alpine landscape. An example is the Tombea cheese, whose name comes from the homonymous mountain in Valvestino. It is produced in two manners: from May to September bovines are kept in the mountain cottages of the valley (malga Tombea, Bait, Alvezza, Corva, Denai) in the municipalities of Magasa, Moerna and Valvestino; from October to April cows are kept in cowsheds recently built or refurbished, with the cheese factory annexed. After years of progressive reduction of zootechnics in the area, local administrators considered the importance of maintaining an alpine zootechnics for the economical tissue of the valley, but they also verified the presence of some criticalities, particularly in the technical-scientific formation.

Aim

The project aims to the improvement of the zootechnical production linked to the Valvestino area, with the purpose of improve their resilience, with the valorization of Tombea cheese production chain. The project focuses on the improvement of the breeding techniques, according to the most recent technical-scientific knowledges, with the purpose of improving the production, the quality of the products and animal welfare, in a context of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The project aims also to a better characterization of the productive process of Tombea cheese, in order to create a stronger linkage with the territory. The achievement of this prefixed goals will happen with the conduct of informative and formative actions addressed to the workers of the agricultural, zootechnical and dairy sectors, with the collaboration of Cerzoo and professors of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, who are experts of animal nutrition, physiology, animal welfare and precision livestock farming, particularly for food production and quality of the products. These actions include the organization of conferences with the purpose of divulge the best breeding techniques in marginal areas, pasture management, cheese making techniques and the legislative process in order to obtain the regional certification for Tombea cheese. Farmers will be involved also with dedicated seminars and webinars, where notions of physiology, with particular reference to the Brown breed and the Italian red spotted breed, nutrition and feeding of ruminants will be given. Between the principal goals of the activities there is the promotion of an optimal use of pastures and a correct management of the herd in the sedentary period. The project includes also demonstrative visits, that will be organized by the Consorzio Forestale Terra tra I due Laghi and CERZOO, in alpine or Apennine areas similar to Valvestino. The visit to CERZOO and to a cheese factory in the Apennine of Piacenza is scheduled for 7/2/2023.

Checks

During the inspections made in the farms in Valvestino some data about the pasture’s characteristics, collocation and productivity, about the consistence of farms, milk quality and characteristics of the cheese factories will be collected. During the visits some forage samples locally produced and used for the herd’s feeding will be taken, with the aim of verifying the chemical-nutritional characteristics and elaborate diets that can satisfy optimally the requirements of bovines during each season. Samples of milk, butter and cheese for the characterization of fatty acids profile and nutraceutical compounds (folic acid, quercetin ecc.) will be taken.

First results obtained

Project in progress

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