Organic management strategies and its effect on clover-based grassland production

Keogh, B.; Humphreys, J.; Phelan, P. L.; Necpálová, Magdaléna; Casey, I. A.; Fitzgerald, E.

doi:10.1017/s2040470010002906

Cited by 2 publications

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“…However, under experimental conditions, N fertilization rates as low as 90 kg N/ha have been maintained with grass/clover grazed pastures stocked at 2 LU/ha (Humphreys et al 2008, 2009 b ; Keogh et al 2010). This compares very favourably with the 252 kg N/ha on fertilized grazed pastures stocked at 2·13 LU/ha in the same studies and indicates the potential for Irish dairy farms to reduce fertilizer N use and improve NUE through incorporation of clover in swards, while also increasing farm profitability through reduced fertilizer costs (Humphreys et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen balance and use efficiency on twenty-one intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

et al. 2014

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SUMMARYThere is increasing concern about balancing agronomic and environmental gains from nitrogen (N) usage on dairy farms. Data from a 3-year (2009)(2010)(2011) survey were used to assess farm-gate N balances and N use efficiency (NUE) on 21 intensive grass-based dairy farms operating under the good agricultural practice (GAP) regulations in Ireland. Mean stocking rate (SR) was 2·06 livestock units (LU)/ha, mean N surplus was 175 kg/ha, or 0·28 kg N/kg milk solids (MS), and mean NUE was 0·23. Nitrogen inputs were dominated by inorganic fertilizer (186 kg N/ha) and concentrates (26·6 kg N/ha), whereas outputs were dominated by milk (40·2 kg N/ha) and livestock (12·8 kg N/ha). Comparison with similar studies carried out before the introduction of the GAP regulations in 2006 would suggest that N surplus, both per ha and per kg MS, have significantly decreased (by 40 and 32%, respectively) and NUE increased (by 27%), mostly due to decreased inorganic fertilizer N input and improvements in N management, with a notable shift towards spring application of organic manures, indicating improved awareness of the fertilizer value of organic manures and good compliance with the GAP regulations regarding fertilizer application timing. These results would suggest a positive impact of the GAP regulations on dairy farm N surplus and NUE, indicating an improvement in both environmental and economic sustainability of dairy production through improved resource-use efficiencies. Such improvements will be necessary to achieve national targets of improved water quality and increased efficiency/sustainability of the dairy industry. The weak impact of SR on N surplus found in the present study would suggest that, with good management, increased SR and milk output per ha may be achievable, while decreasing N surplus per ha. Mean N surplus was lower than the overall mean surplus (224 kg N/ha) from six studies of northern and continental European dairy farms, while mean NUE was similar, largely due to the low input/output system that is more typical in Ireland, with seasonal milk production (compact spring calving), low use of concentrates, imported feed and forages, high use of grazed grass and lower milk yields per ha.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen balance and use efficiency on twenty-one intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

et al. 2014

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“…Production data were derived from three previous studies (Humphreys et al. , 2008, 2009; Keogh et al. , 2010) conducted at Solohead Research Farm (52°51′N, 08°21′W) between 2001 and 2009.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Details of the three previous studies (Humphreys et al. , 2008, 2009; Keogh et al. , 2010) are presented in Table 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study, data from three system‐scale studies conducted in Ireland (Humphreys et al. , 2008, 2009; Keogh et al. , 2010) were combined with recent farm‐gate input and output prices to determine the relative profitability of WC in the context of recent fertilizer N and milk prices and changing price conditions and in the context of current and possible future restrictions on fertilizer N use and stocking densities on farms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An economic comparison of systems of dairy production based on N‐fertilized grass and grass‐white clover grassland in a moist maritime environment

Humphreys

Mihailescu

Casey

2012

Grass and Forage Science

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This study compared the profitabilities of systems of dairy production based on N‐fertilized grass (FN) and grass‐white clover (WC) grassland and assessed sensitivity to changing fertilizer N and milk prices. Data were sourced from three system‐scale studies conducted in Ireland between 2001 and 2009. Ten FN stocked between 2·0 and 2·5 livestock units (LU) ha−1 with fertilizer N input between 173 and 353 kg ha−1 were compared with eight WC stocked between 1·75 and 2·2 LU ha−1 with fertilizer N input between 79 and 105 kg ha−1. Sensitivity was confined to nine combinations of high, intermediate and low fertilizer N and milk prices. Stocking density, milk and total sales from WC were approximately 0·90 of FN. In scenarios with high fertilizer N price combined with intermediate or low milk prices, WC was more (P < 0·05) profitable than FN. Based on milk and fertilizer N prices at the time, FN was clearly more profitable than WC between 1990 and 2005. However, with the steady increase in fertilizer N prices relative to milk price, the difference between FN and WC was less clear cut between 2006 and 2010. Projecting into the future and assuming similar trends in fertilizer N and milk prices to the last decade, this analysis indicates that WC will become an increasingly more profitable alternative to FN for pasture‐based dairy production.

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Organic management strategies and its effect on clover-based grassland production

Cited by 2 publications

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Nitrogen balance and use efficiency on twenty-one intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

Nitrogen balance and use efficiency on twenty-one intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland

An economic comparison of systems of dairy production based on N‐fertilized grass and grass‐white clover grassland in a moist maritime environment

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