Changes in land use resulting from diet modifications related to increasing milk yields

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Wolf P., Prochnow A. and Berg W.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Milk yields in Germany are still increasing for economic and other reasons. Cows with higher yields need diets with higher protein and energy content. This necessitates changes in the amounts of individual feedstuffs within the diets. Accordingly, these changes result in a shift in land use from grassland to cropland. The relationship between the diets of dairy cows (including replacement) and the associated use of grassland and cropland was studied. For this purpose, the fixed amount of the annual milk production in Germany was set as a basis. The milk yield was varied from 4,000 to 12,000 kg energy corrected milk (ECM) cow‑1 year‑1, in steps of 2,000 kg ECM cow‑1 year‑1. The results show a decreasing use of utilized agricultural area (UAA), especially grassland, with increasing milk yield. The total use of UAA is similar for the higher milk yields. Thus, the lowest use of the resource land (UAA and grassland) associated with a defined amount of produced milk occurs at milk yields of 10,000 and 12,000 kg ECM cow‑1 year‑1. The use of cropland is growing with milk yields increasing over the whole investigated scope.