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Nitrogen balance from cash crop farms (1999)

  Denmark
1999

The Danish aquatic environment plan focuses on reducing nitrogen discharge to the aquatic environment. Farming is one of the major contributors to this discharge, which is why it is useful to have an overview of the nitrogen balance and emissions in Danish farming. The data presented here refers to the Nitrogen use and losses in different types of Danish cash crop farms in 1999. The different farm types are set according to soil type and major enterprise and they can be seen here. For process description, data collection and treatment etc. please look at the processes for each farm type (here). For more details on the Nitrogen balance method see here.

The Nitrogen balance data is presented in three tables:

Table 1. Characteristics of area, land use and yields per hectare for full time cash crop farm types in Denmark year 1999

Table 2. Farm gate N-turnover and -loss at cash crop farms in Denmark year 1999

Table 3. Field level N-turnover at cash crop farms in Denmark year 1999

 

Table 1. Characteristics of area, land use and yields per hectare for full time cash crop farm types in Denmark year 1999 (average by farm)

Soil type1)

Sandy loam
Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Representativity
 

 

 
 
Number of farms in data set
88
63
53
30
38
62
52
107
91
Area represented by farm type [1000ha]
156
170
135
9
47
112
159
42
92
Herd data
Dairy per farm [cows farm-1]
6
1
0
0
13
9
0
0
21
LSU2) per farm [LSU farm-1]
33
23
3
16
61
35
2
12
75
Area
Total farm area [ha farm-1]
78
105
68
31
38
94
76
39
41

Crop rotation [% of farm area]
Permanent grass
1
1
1
7
15
2
1
8
8
Set-aside
7
7
7
4
3
9
11
8
7
Cereal for harvest
59
55
72
43
56
48
64
53
49
Maize/whole crop silage
1
0
0
7
8
4
0
9
12
Grass/clover in rotation
1
0
2
16
9
3
0
11
13
Production
Cereal yield [100 kg ha-1]
75
74
66
40
60
49
53
33
51
Peas [100 kg ha-1]
40
45
34
21
20
24
27
22
28
Rape[100 kg ha-1]
30
32
29
0
29
20
18
18
26
Potatoes [100 kg ha-1]
306
296
292
354
0
282
341
99
348
Sugar beet [100 kg ha-1]
559
536
538
0
468
461
506
0
460
Grass seed [100 kg ha-1]
11
11
9
11
13
12
9
10
15
Clover seed [100 kg ha-1]
6
5
8
5
0
0
5
0
0
Milk yield [kg ECM cow-1 yr-1] 7243
6918
0
0
7330
7565
0
0
7242
1) Sandy loam > 5 % clay, sand < 5 % clay
2) Livestock units (LSU), DK definition: 1 LSU = 100 kg total N in manure ex stable, 0.85 LSU=1 dairy cow on 8,500 l milk year-1

Table 2. Farm gate N-turnover and -loss at cash crop farms in Denmark year 1999 (kg N ha-1 year-1)

Soil type

Sandy loam
Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Inputs
 

 

 
 
Mineral fertiliser
114
124
140
0
105
118
116
0
75

Organic fert. & livestock1)
10
9
16
40
12
20
16
40
9
Supplement feed
31
15
3
29
179
23
1
12
257
Biological N-fixation
3
5
5
25
10
7
6
30
18
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
174
170
179
110
322
184
155
98
375
                   
Outputs
Milk
-3
0
0
0
-13
-4
0
0
-20
Meat
-19
-13
-2
-19
-81
-16
-1
-9
-113
Cash crops
-75
-73
-90
-24
-23
-50
-66
-26
-17
Straw1)
-4
-5
-5
0
0
-3
-5
0
0
Total output
-101
-91
-97
-42
-117
-72
-73
-35
-150
 
 
Farm gate N-balance
73
78
82
68
204
112
83
63
225
N loss, stable and storage2)
-7
-4
-1
-7
-32
-6
0
-4
-49

 

Field N balance
65
74
81
60
169
105
82
58
170
Field N-efficiency3)
63%
56%
55%
44%
38%
45%
48%
50%
39%
 
 
N loss, field
 
Fertilisation, manure spreading2)
-6
-5
-5
-5
-13
-7
-4
-6
-13
Crops2)
-5
-5
-5
-2
-3
-5
-5
-2
-4
Denitrification2)
-13
-12
-13
-17
-27
-5
-4
-8
-9
Soil-N change2)
2
1
-1
-10
3
10
-4
1
14
Leaching4)
-38
-51
-60
-46
-124
-79
-73
-42
-133

1) Net import = import-export of manure, straw and living animals
2) Calculated standard ammonia emission and denitrification
3) N-efficiency = 100 * output/input
4) Leaching = field N balance - N aerial loss (fertilization+crops+denitrification) +/- soil-N changes

Table 3. Field level N-turnover at cash crop farms in Denmark year 1999 (kg N ha-1 year-1)

Soil type

Sandy loam
Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Inputs
Mineral fertiliser
114
124
140
0
105
118
116
0
75
Imported organic fertiliser
6
7
16
39
0
16
16
39
0
Manure from own herd1)
35
17
5
28
141
33
3
29
169
Biological N-fixation
3
5
5
25
10
7
6
30
18
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
174
169
181
108
272
191
157
114
278
 
Outputs
Cash crops
-28
-17
-13
-6
-4
-28
-8
-2
-5
Grain
-46
-55
-77
-17
-19
-21
-57
-24
-12
Grain for feed2)
-25
-14
-1
-11
-35
-18
-1
-6
-29
Straw harvested
-14
-19
-16
-8
-10
-9
-14
-6
-9
Straw mulched3) (Not in output)
-9
-13
-10
-7
0
-4
-7
-4
-1
Roughage for feed2)
-4
-2
-4
-12
-45
-14
-2
-22
-53
Roughage not utilized by own herd (Not in output)
-5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total output
-109
-95
-100
-48
-103
-86
-75
-56
-108
 
Field N balance
65
74
81
60
169
105
82
58
170
Field N-efficiency4)
63%
56%
55%
44%
38%
45%
48%
50%
39%

1) After deduction of ammonia loss in stables, storage and sold manure, see farm gate balance
2) Feed used in own herd
3) Straw left on field, not included in balance but used in soil-N modeling
4) N-efficiency = 100 * output/input

Administrative information

Data URL: http://www.lcafood.dk/processes/agriculture/N_balance_cash_crop_farms.html
Version no.: 1.00
Author: Ib Sillebak Kristensen, Danish Institute of Agricultural Science.
Data responsible: Ib Sillebak Kristensen, DIAS

Contact:

Data entry: Transformed into this format by Rikke Frederiksen, DIAS
Data completed: HTML format: November 2004.