Economic impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency on nineteen intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

Mihailescu, Elena; Ryan, W.; Murphy, Philip; Casey, I. A.; Humphreys, J.

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2014.09.008

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Although other studies have indicated the feasibility of improving simultaneously economic and environmental outcomes (Rotz et al, 2002;Mihailescu et al, 2015), in this study, partial reductions of P and N balances had either negligible or negative effects on the FNI in both WI and QC. This result was due in part to the parameterization of N-CyCLES with the best feeding and nutrient management practices, hence precluding the quantification of benefits from adopting best management practices.…”

Section: Economic Versus Environmental Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 56%

Economic effect of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus mass balance on Wisconsin and Québec dairy farms

Pellerin

Charbonneau

Fadul-Pacheco

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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Our objective was to explore the trade-offs between economic performance (farm net income, FNI) and environmental outcomes (whole-farm P and N balances) of dairy farms in Wisconsin (WI; United States) and Québec (QC; Canada). An Excel-based linear program model (N-CyCLES; nutrient cycling: crops, livestock, environment, and soil) was developed to optimize feeding, cropping, and manure management as a single unit of management. In addition to FNI, P and N balances model outputs included (1) the mix of up to 9 home-grown and 17 purchased feeds for up to 5 animal groups, (2) the mix of up to 5 crop rotations in up to 5 land units and c) the mix of up to 7 fertilizers (solid and liquid manure and 5 commercial fertilizers) to allocate in each land unit. The model was parameterized with NRC nutritional guidelines and regional nutrient management planning rules. Simulations were conducted on a typical WI farm of 107 cows and 151 ha of cropland and, a Southern QC farm of 87 cows and 142 ha of cropland and all results were expressed per kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM). In absence of constraints on P and N balances, maximum FNI was 0.12 and 0.11 $/kg of FPCM for WI and QC, respectively, with P and N balances of 1.05 and 14.29 g/kg of FPCM in WI but 0.60 and 15.70 g/kg of FPCM in QC. The achievable reduction (balance at maximum FNI minus balance when the simulation objective was to minimize P or N balance) was 0.31 and 0.54 g of P/kg of FPCM (29 and 89% reduction), but 2.37 and 3.31 g of N/kg of FPCM (17 and 24% reduction) in WI and QC, respectively. Among other factors, differences in animal unit per hectare and reliance on biological N fixation may have contributed to lower achievable reductions of whole-farm balances in WI compared with QC. Subsequent simulations to maximize FNI under increasing constraints on nutrient balances revealed that it was possible to reduce P balance, N balance, and both together by up to 33% without a substantial effect on FNI. Partial reduction in P balance reduced N balance (synergetic effect) in WI, but increased N balance (antagonistic effect) in QC. In contrast, reducing N balance increased P balance in both regions, albeit in different magnitudes. The regional comparison highlighted the importance of site-specific conditions on modeling outcomes. This study demonstrated that even when recommended guidelines are followed for herd nutrition and crop fertilization, the optimization of herd feeding, cropping, and manure spreading as a single unit of management may help identify management options that preserve FNI, while substantially reducing whole-farm nutrient balance.

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Section: Economic Versus Environmental Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 56%

Economic effect of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus mass balance on Wisconsin and Québec dairy farms

Pellerin

Charbonneau

Fadul-Pacheco

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Investments in marketing and management consultants were very scarce, whereas the use of agricultural and veterinarian consultants was recorded in 30% and 45% of the farms, respectively. Given the expected impact of management and of agricultural and veterinarian advisers on farm income [16,67,68], it would be desirable that their use be increased.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and Drivers of Change of Pastoral Beef Production Systems in a Mediterranean-Temperate Climate Zone of Chile

Toro-Mújica

Vera

Vargas‐Bello‐Pérez

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple Summary: Livestock production systems show modifications over time due to both internal and external variables. The relationships between internal variables allow the definition of typological groups of production systems. Knowing the typological groups and their temporal evolution allows the identification of continuity strategies at the private and public levels. With this aim and using data from livestock surveys conducted in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, four typological groups of beef production in a Mediterranean-temperate climate zone of Chile were identified. The typological groups differed in size, productive orientation, breeds used, and response to changes in external variables, among other aspects. These groups require different continuity strategies, which include, their sustainable intensification and the need to focus on pastoral production using low external inputs to enhance the production of "natural" beef for high-value niche markets. Abstract:The present study used surveys of the cattle sector over the period of 2009-2015 to develop a typology of cattle farms to evaluate their evolution over time and to identify variables that may be associated with systems' adaptive changes and continuance. Four groups of farms were defined using multivariate analyses as follows: Group I are small calf-cow operations using non-specialized beef breeds; Group II is similar to Group I but employs specialized beef breeds; Group III is dedicated to finishing cattle, and Group IV are larger farms (>1000 animals) with a complete cycle of breeding and fattening. In general, beef cattle production in the temperate-Mediterranean Southern Zone of Chile is declining in response to the opening up of the economy that allows for ample imports, the high opportunity cost of land, and recurrent droughts associated with climate change. Current policies and regulations have modified farms' businesses models depending on their ease of access to markets, farm size and financial capacity. The defined groups require different development paths and strategies. Sustainable intensification is an alternative strategy for farms in Group I and II, particularly if they were to contract the finishing stage of their cattle with Group III farms. In contrast, it is suggested that Group IV farms concentrate on pastoral production using low external inputs to enhance the production of "natural" beef for high-value niche markets, with positive externalities.

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“…No decreasing trend was seen for P offtake ( Table 2), suggesting that P concentration is affected faster by fertilisation rate than grass yield, as was observed in the Netherlands (AARTS et al, 2008). As the critical value of P concentration in the feed of highly productive dairy cows is 3.0 to 3.5 g P·kg -1 DM (DE BRABANDER et al, 2011;MIHAILESCU et al, 2015), the lower P concentration may have a negative effect on the nutritional value of grass for dairy cattle, resulting in the need for P supplementation, although there is no danger for this scenario at the moment.…”

Section: Phosphorus Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus offtake and optimal phosphorus fertilisation rate of some fodder crops and potatoes in temperate regions

D’Haene¹,

Hofman

2015

Agrokem

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Economic impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency on nineteen intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

Cited by 22 publications

References 58 publications

Economic effect of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus mass balance on Wisconsin and Québec dairy farms

Economic effect of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus mass balance on Wisconsin and Québec dairy farms

Trends and Drivers of Change of Pastoral Beef Production Systems in a Mediterranean-Temperate Climate Zone of Chile

Phosphorus offtake and optimal phosphorus fertilisation rate of some fodder crops and potatoes in temperate regions

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