Economic and environmental viability of regionally growing feed concentrate replacers

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.