ProRefine Field Day : A demostration in Aegean Region in Menemen Plain, Turkey (Prorefine Project)

The aim of the project is to improve local production of protein feed in organic farming based on fractionation of plant parts of forage legumes in different regions in Europe and Turkey. Developing methods to extract protein from forages could result in local feeds suitable for both ruminant and monogastric animals.There were 17 participants in field day, from; Local farmers from animal husbandry and organic feed farmers, Irrigation unions, Menemen Women Cooperative of Agriculture, Organic Advisory Service, Agricultural engineers and economists from Izmir, Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry An Entrepreneur.Q ;How many times can you harvest organic lucerne and how many tones of fresh yield are obtained per hectare? A; We cut organic lucerne seven or eight times a year. Although there is a slight decrease in yield in the first and last cut, on average, 17 tons of fresh yield per cut was obtained. In total, you can have an idea about how much you can get when you multiply this yield by 7 or 8. Q ; How much fertilizer did you apply? A ; Lucerne develope rhizobia nodules on their roots thus we can say that they feed themselves, also enrich your soils. In other words lucerne provides its own fertilizer. That is why, we did not apply any fertilizer in to the soil. It is an important aspect in saving money. Q ; Your Project involves fractination techniques on protein and fiber rich feed. What potential benefits does the fractination provide for farmers? A; The main objective of the project is new knowledge about fractionation techniques for forage legumes that will improve organic farmers’ self-sufficiency with local feed, which means the dependency on imported protein feed will diminish in time. In regions where animal husbandry and crop production are geographically separated, the production of feed for monogastrics and ruminants from one crop may challenge farmers to find new ways of cooperating between farmers and possibly other stakeholders. This Project will stregthen such a cooperation in order to overcome this challeng