land use

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Hack-ten Broeke M.J.D., Cormont A., Roelsma J., Galama P. and Van Walsum P.E.V.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
In an exploratory study on the impact of land use options on environment and farm income we considered closing nutrient cycles, clustering of agricultural activities and, as a combination of these two, the cooperation between dairy and arable farms. In the search for alternative feeds that can reduce the use of soybean from Brazil for feeding cattle, we investigated to what extent the growing of feed concentrate replacers by arable farmers within the region could be of interest economically. For this study our pilot area was part of the provinces of Brabant and Limburg (larger Peel region). We quantified the effect of growing up to 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100% of the feed concentrate replacers within the region by replacing the least profitable arable crops by these crops (e.g. lupins, peas and beans). We found that the farm income would not be affected by replacement of up to 60% of the foreign feed concentrates by regionally grown feed concentrate replacers. However, replacement of more than 60% would reduce income. Cultivation of the new crops hardly affected nitrogen and phosphorus leaching to groundwater. But spatial optimization of land use conversion resulted in 10 to 20% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus leaching. This means that cooperation between arable farmers growing feed concentrate replacers and dairy farmers using these products for feeding their livestock could be both economically and environmentally viable.

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.