Beat Boller · Ulrich K. Posselt · Fabio Veronesi
Grassland farming in Europe was already established during the settlement of the
first farmers together with their domesticated animals after the last ice age. Since
then, grassland provides the forage basis to feed ruminant animals for the production of meat and milk. Depending on the ecological conditions and intensity
of usage, various plant communities with different species developed, displaying
a rich biodiversity. With the introduction of improved crop rotations at the end of
the 16th century, grasses and legumes were also grown to an important extent as
forage crops on arable land. In the last decades the importance of amenity grasses
increased markedly, due to the demand of the society for new usages like landscape
protection.