An approach to nutrient management on dairy farms

Abstract

In the European Union, groundwater should contain less than 50 mg of nitrate/L. Individual countries have developed alternative strategies for phosphorus (P). In The Netherlands, regulations based on P limited the amount of manure applied per hectare. A more balanced P supply to the land has been achieved by transport of manure from surplus to deficit regions. Costs of processing of manure to pellets appeared to be (too) high. In animal production experiments, lowering the P content of concentrates and mineral supplements reduced P losses without an adverse effect on production. In addition to the European guideline for nitrate, ammonia volatilization should be reduced by 50 to 70%. Management practices for reducing nitrogen (N) losses were studied with a farm model, developed at PR. A combination of a more efficient use of fertilizer N, restricted grazing, and a more balanced diet, and, to a lesser extent, higher milk production per cow resulted in considerable reductions in nitrate leaching. The application of slurry by injection diminishes the ammonia volatilization at farm level by almost 50%. This technique has become obligatory, and is only allowed during the growing season. Other techniques, like low emission housing and covering of slurry storage have relatively high costs. Starting in 1998, farmers have to keep a record of nutrients on a balance sheet. A tax will be imposed on surpluses of N and P. This new instrument replaces the regulations based on P. To further improve efficiency of use of N and P, farmers have the nutrient balance sheet available as an integrated management tool. Urea content in bulk milk has been introduced as a new indicator for the utilization of N in the diet. Also, fertilizer applications are improved. Furthermore, an experimental farm was set up to integrate all available expertise and analyze the resulting nutrient flows and farm performance.