Location: Germany, DE94 (Weser-Ems)
Intensity level: Intensive
Utilized agricultural area, soil, climate and crops
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Milk production and animal nutrition
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Housing, manure management and fertilization
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Mitigation measures
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The selected mitigation measures aim to cover different management aspects (e.g.,fields, manure, diets), and are tailored to the baseline characteristics of the system.
Table 1
|
Units |
WCi |
|
| Farm area (UAA) |
ha |
71 |
| Grasslands |
%UAA |
55 |
| Permanent grassland |
%UAA |
22% |
| Prevailing annual crop |
Type |
Maize |
| Climate |
Type |
Cfb, Temperature, no dry season, warm summer |
| Temperature average |
°C |
12 |
| Average monthly rainfall |
mm |
72 |
| Prevailing soil texture |
Type (USDA) |
Sand |
| Grazing time |
Days |
0 |
°C degrees centigrade, mm millimetres
UAA utilised agricultural area
Table 2
|
Units |
WCi |
|
| Main cow breed |
Name |
Holstein |
| Total dairy livestock units |
LU |
184 |
| Milk production |
kg FPCM year−1 cow−1 a |
11194 |
| Milk yield |
kg animal−1day−1 |
30.6 |
| Forage-to-concentrate |
Ratio |
60:40 |
| Crude protein |
% |
27 |
| Main silage type |
– |
Grass/maize |
| Grazing time |
Days |
0 |
LU livestock units
FPCM fat and protein corrected milk
astandardised to 4% fat and 3.3% protein per kilogram of milk (IDF 2015)
Table 3
|
Units |
WCi |
|
| Slurry storage |
Type |
Crusted |
| Slurry application |
Type |
Shallow injection |
| Prevailing mineral N fertilizer |
Type |
CAN |
| Mineral fertilization |
kg ha−1 |
85 |
Table 4
- PI: Increase productive performance associated with a higher fraction of purchased feed. In conventional dairy production systems with a forage-to-concentrate ratio above 70:30, the purchased fraction was increase until reaching a F:C ratio of 60:40. This measure was associated with an increase in milk production of 15%.
- CP: Reduction of crude protein (CP) content of the purchased fraction of the diet. The CP content in the purchased fraction of the diet was reduced to 14% on conventional farms where this value was higher.
- HESc: Use of high-efficiency rigid covers on slurry storage. The impact of rigid covers was modelled in DPS that initially presented open, crusted or slatted slurry storages.
- HESa: Use of high-efficiency shallow injection of slurry. The impact of shallow injection was modelled in DP, where slurry was applied using broadcast or a band spreader.
- Urea: Substitution of urea by ammonium nitrate (AN). The substitution of urea by AN was evaluated in those DPS where only urea was applied (maintaining the originally reported nitrogen application rate).
- AD: Implementation of an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant: The effect of AD in DPS with at least 100 livestock units (LU) and cattle staying less than two-thirds of the year at pasture was tested.
