Seeding the green future

    Climate change and environmental pressure demand more sustainable agricultural production methods. DLF contribute to a green world through our long-lasting commitment to breed reliable and sustainable agricultural solutions for farmers world-wide.

    02/06/2020

    “We are committed to meeting the global challenges of climate change.
    Through the use of advanced breeding techniques and working
    in close collaboration with all of our stakeholders, we are developing
    the greener solutions of tomorrow”
    - Truels Damsgaard, CEO
    To maintain a local and sustainable milk and meat production, the solutions available to farmers must provide improved productivity and be resistant to disease pressure and more extreme climatic conditions.
    Products and solutions from DLF have the potential to:
    1. Increase productivity of land and livestock
    2. Sequestrate carbon and reduce emissions in the supply chain
    3. Fixate nitrogen
    4. Reduce leaching of nitrogen and pesticides

    Sustainable agricultural solutions

    To maintain a local and sustainable milk and meat production, the solutions available to farmers must cater for the agricultural climatic and environmental challenges while at same time provide improved productivity.
    Legumes fixate nitrogen from the air and thus reduce the use of fertilizer – and they restrain the carbon emission from production of fertilizer. Legumes also provide local grown protein, limiting the import of protein and carbon emission from transport.
    “Locally produced protein offsets some of the very heavy carbon emission processes. The potential for locally produced protein can reach another level when full-scale bio-refining plants have proven to be profitable, and grass proteins are fully digestible for monogastric livestock like pigs and poultry”, says Klaus K. Nielsen, CSO in DLF.
    Perennial forage mixtures limit soil disturbance compared to crops with a single growing season. When the disturbance of the top-soil is reduced, carbon is stored in the soil. This increases the fertility of the soil and the need for pesticides is reduced to the benefit of both climate and environment.
    Use of high quality forage mixtures reduces the risk of losing production due to diseases and environmental stress, and the high fiber energy increases the productivity of forage pastures and livestock. DLF grasses, clover and alfalfa are bred and combined in mixtures to fit the local environmental conditions to secure a high productivity on forage pastures and a high forage value.

    Joined forces on green protein

    In May 2020 DLF has, together with the agricultural companies DLG and Danish Agro, established the company BioRefine Denmark A/S, a full-scale biorefinery designed to produce concentrated protein from approx. 2,000 hectares of clover, alfalfa and grass for organic feed and in the long term also white protein for human food.

    Read more about the project here

    Backed by science

    At DLF, we have a long history of delivering science-based forage solutions. 12% of our employees are engaged in research activities and we use advanced breeding technologies such as genomic selection, drones and artificial intelligence. That is why we can continue to deliver optimized solutions for our customers.
    We also aspire to be a preferred partner for farmers, companies, universities and research institutions in the development of sustainable farming.