IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v104y2011i5p383-391.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dairy farm nutrient management model: 2. Evaluation of different strategies to mitigate phosphorus surplus

Author

Listed:
  • Huhtanen, Pekka
  • Nousiainen, Juha
  • Turtola, Eila

Abstract

To reduce (P) surpluses on dairy farms and thereby the risk of P losses to natural waters we studied different management alternatives by a nutrient balance model described in the companion paper. The strategies evaluated mitigating the P surpluses were: mineral P fertilisation, dietary mineral P supplementation, replacement rate, animal density, production level, feeding intensity, dietary P concentration and nutrient efficiency in crop production. Responses to several interventions (e.g. mineral P fertilisation, purchased feed P, replacement rate) were similar to those observed in Finnish field studies. Reducing or completely giving up the use of purchased mineral P fertilisers was the most efficient measure to reduce P surplus. The slope between the amount of mineral fertilisers and P surplus was 0.98-0.99 (in the field data 1.0). Increased animal density resulted in a greater P surplus, but the slope between P input from purchased feed and surplus was considerably smaller (0.65) than that of P fertilisation. Increasing milk yield with improved genetic potential of the cows would have minimal effects on P surplus per unit of product, but it would increase P surplus per hectare. When the intensity of energy and protein feeding was increased, P surplus rose markedly both per unit of product and hectare. This is (1) due to increased dietary P concentration and (2) due to smaller marginal production responses than those calculated from feeding standards. Reducing dietary P concentration by constraining P excess per kg milk in least-cost ration formulation improved P efficiency in milk production and dairy farming system. However, feed cost increased as low P energy (sugar-beet pulp) and protein (soybean meal) supplements are more expensive than cereal grains or rapeseed feeds. Improving the nutrient use efficiency in crop production had a strong influence in the whole-farm efficiency and P surplus. The modelling results showed that Finnish dairy farms have a great potential to improve P efficiency and reduce P losses to the environment, even by increasing production intensity (milk/ha). It is concluded that the most cost-effective scenario to mitigate P surpluses at a dairy farm would be to reduce or give up the use of mineral P as fertilisers and supplements, and to improve the use of present soil P reserves.

Suggested Citation

  • Huhtanen, Pekka & Nousiainen, Juha & Turtola, Eila, 2011. "Dairy farm nutrient management model: 2. Evaluation of different strategies to mitigate phosphorus surplus," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(5), pages 383-391, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:104:y:2011:i:5:p:383-391
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308-521X(11)00012-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bruce A. Babcock, 1992. "The Effects of Uncertainty on Optimal Nitrogen Applications," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 14(2), pages 271-280.
    2. Nousiainen, J. & Tuori, M. & Turtola, E. & Huhtanen, P., 2011. "Dairy farm nutrient management model. 1. Model description and validation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(5), pages 371-382, June.
    3. Buysse, J. & Van Huylenbroeck, G. & Vanslembrouck, I. & Vanrolleghem, P., 2005. "Simulating the influence of management decisions on the nutrient balance of dairy farms," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 86(3), pages 333-348, December.
    4. Modin-Edman, Anna-Karin & Oborn, Ingrid & Sverdrup, Harald, 2007. "FARMFLOW--A dynamic model for phosphorus mass flow, simulating conventional and organic management of a Swedish dairy farm," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 431-444, May.
    5. Darrell J. Bosch & James W. Pease, 2000. "Economic Risk and Water Quality Protection in Agriculture," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 22(2), pages 438-463.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Adenuga, Adewale Henry & Davis, John & Hutchinson, George & Donnellan, Trevor & Patton, Myles, 2018. "Estimation and determinants of phosphorus balance and use efficiency of dairy farms in Northern Ireland: A within and between farm random effects analysis," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 11-19.
    2. Mihailescu, E. & Ryan, W. & Murphy, P.N.C. & Casey, I.A. & Humphreys, J., 2015. "Economic impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency on nineteen intensive grass-based dairy farms in the South of Ireland," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 121-132.
    3. Buckley, Cathal & Wall, David P. & Moran, Brian & O'Neill, Stephen & Murphy, Paul N.C., 2016. "Phosphorus management on Irish dairy farms post controls introduced under the EU Nitrates Directive," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Vadas, Peter A. & Mark Powell, J. & Brink, Geoff E. & Busch, Dennis L. & Good, Laura W., 2015. "Whole-farm phosphorus loss from grazing-based dairy farms," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 40-47.
    5. Nousiainen, J. & Tuori, M. & Turtola, E. & Huhtanen, P., 2011. "Dairy farm nutrient management model. 1. Model description and validation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(5), pages 371-382, June.
    6. Áine Macken-Walsh & Anne Byrne & Nata Duvvury & Tanya Watson, 2014. "Gender, Power and Property: “In my own right”," Working Papers 1401, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.
    7. Cathal Buckley & Paul Murphy & David Wall, 2013. "Farm-gate N and P balances and use efficiencies across specialist dairy farms in the Republic Ireland," Working Papers 1302, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Le Gal, P.-Y. & Dugué, P. & Faure, G. & Novak, S., 2011. "How does research address the design of innovative agricultural production systems at the farm level? A review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 714-728.
    2. Vayssières, Jonathan & Guerrin, François & Paillat, Jean-Marie & Lecomte, Philippe, 2009. "GAMEDE: A global activity model for evaluating the sustainability of dairy enterprises Part I - Whole-farm dynamic model," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 128-138, July.
    3. Meyer-Aurich, Andreas & Karatay, Yusuf Nadi, 2019. "Effects of uncertainty and farmers' risk aversion on optimal N fertilizer supply in wheat production in Germany," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 130-139.
    4. Soraya Tanure & Carlos Nabinger & João Luiz Becker, 2015. "Bioeconomic Model of Decision Support System for Farm Management: Proposal of a Mathematical Model," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(6), pages 658-671, November.
    5. Paulson, Nicholas D. & Babcock, Bruce A., 2010. "Readdressing the Fertilizer Problem," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 35(3), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Peerlings, Jack H.M. & Polman, Nico B.P., 2005. "Plant Species Protection Contracts: Modelling Contract Choice for Specialised Dairy Farms and Mixed Dairy Pig Fattening Farms in the Netherlands," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24728, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Murat Isik & Madhu Khanna, 2003. "Stochastic Technology, Risk Preferences, and Adoption of Site-Specific Technologies," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 85(2), pages 305-317.
    8. Johansson, Robert & Peters, Mark & House, Robert, 2007. "Regional Environment and Agriculture Programming Model," Technical Bulletins 184314, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. Chu, Mei-Chin & Swinton, Scott M. & Batie, Sandra S., 1997. "A Risk Programming Approach To Designing Contracts To Reduce Nitrate Leaching," Staff Paper Series 11594, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    10. Tembo, Gelson & Brorsen, B. Wade & Epplin, Francis M., 2003. "Linear Response Stochastic Plateau Functions," 2003 Annual Meeting, February 1-5, 2003, Mobile, Alabama 35217, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    11. Naranjo, Maria A. & Alpízar, Francisco & Martinsson, Peter, 2019. "Alternatives for Risk Elicitation in the Field: Evidence from Coffee Farmers in Costa Rica," EfD Discussion Paper 19-21, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    12. Francisco Rosas & Bruce A. Babcock & Dermot J. Hayes, 2011. "A Nonlinear Offset Program to Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions Induced by Excessive Nitrogen Application," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 11-wp521, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    13. Metcalfe, Todd & Bosch, Darrell J. & Pease, James W. & Alley, Mark M. & Phillips, Steve B., 2007. "Yield Reserve Program Costs in the Virginia Coastal Plain," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 36(2), pages 1-16, October.
    14. Babcock, Bruce A. & Blackmer, Alfred M., 1992. "The Value Of Reducing Temporal Input Nonuniformities," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 17(2), pages 1-13, December.
    15. Pautsch, Gregory R. & Babcock, Bruce A. & Breidt, F. Jay, 1999. "Optimal Information Acquisition Under A Geostatistical Model," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 24(2), pages 1-25, December.
    16. Babcock, Bruce A. & Pautsch, Gregory R., 1998. "Moving From Uniform To Variable Fertilizer Rates On Iowa Corn: Effects On Rates And Returns," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 23(2), pages 1-16, December.
    17. Farquharson, Robert J. & Cacho, Oscar J. & Mullen, John D., 2005. "An economic approach to soil fertility management for wheat production in New South Wales and Queensland," 2005 Conference (49th), February 9-11, 2005, Coff's Harbour, Australia 137866, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    18. Cerozi, B.S. & Fitzsimmons, K., 2017. "Phosphorus dynamics modeling and mass balance in an aquaponics system," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 94-100.
    19. Herdis Herdiansyah & Ernoiz Antriyandarti & Amrina Rosyada & Nor Isnaeni Dwi Arista & Tri Edhi Budhi Soesilo & Ninin Ernawati, 2023. "Evaluation of Conventional and Mechanization Methods towards Precision Agriculture in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, June.
    20. Tanure, Soraya & Nabinger, Carlos & Becker, João Luiz, 2013. "Bioeconomic model of decision support system for farm management. Part I: Systemic conceptual modeling," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 104-116.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:104:y:2011:i:5:p:383-391. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.