A new variety of alfalfa will revolutionize livestock farming in central-southern Chile

This is Kauke, an innovative forage alternative generated by researchers from the Institute of Agricultural Research, INIA, which triples the yield of natural grasslands, benefiting small livestock farmers in the central-southern area with solutions adapted to dryland and irrigation conditions. Chile's livestock diversity, made up of cattle, sheep and goats, is established from the Maule regions to the south in different agroecological zones and from the Andean foothills to the coastal dryland. However, these areas face important challenges in animal feed, especially for small producers who, for the most part, practice subsistence livestock farming. In this regard, the researcher in livestock systems at INIA Quilamapu, Soledad Espinoza, indicated that if producers had better quality and longer-lasting forage to feed their animals "they could significantly increase livestock mass." This limitation is especially critical in the dry interior and in the foothills of the central south, ...