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Nitrogen balance from dairy 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 dairy 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 production levels of full time mixed dairy farms in Denmark year 1999

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

Table 3. Field level N-turnover at mixed dairy farms in Denmark year 1999

 

Table 1. Characteristics of area, land use and production levels of full time mixed dairy farms in Denmark year 1999 (average by farm type)

Soil type1)

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type [LSU2) ha-1]

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3

Org.

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3
Org.
Suckler
Representativity

 

 
 
 
Number of farms in data set
 23 32 14 24 83 182 16 125 103
Area represented by farm type [1000ha] 43 43 12 10 156 261 16 71 198
% of Danish milk Production
4
7
3
1
15
43
4
9
0
Herd data
 
Dairy per farm [cows farm-1]
55
55
82
62
48
67
76
85
 0
LSU per farm [LSU farm-1]
87
84
121
100
81
109
126
133
20
Stocking rate [LSU ha-1]
0.9
1.7
2.8
1.1
1.0
1.7
2.6
1.3
0.6
Feed uptake, 100 SFU LSU-1 y-1
48
48
47
44
48
48
48
45
 40
N uptake , kg N LSU-1 y-1
142
139
141
129
140
139
138
130
149 
N-efficiency, herd3)
21.3%
20.4%
21.2%
19.8%
20.0%
19.9%
18.9%
19.6%
 18.2%
Area
Total farm area [ha farm-1]
99
50
44
88
81
65
48
102
31
Crop rotation [% of farm area]
Permanent grass
9
8
3
11
9
11
6
9
20
Set-aside
6
4
6
5
7
6
5
5
6
Cereal for harvest
46
32
42
23
40
19
16
14
46
Maize/whole crop silage
13
21
28
23
16
33
56
29
3
Grass/clover in rotation
14
24
4
33
18
26
13
41
16
Production
Cereal yield [100kg ha-1]
56
54
66
44
52
49
47
41
47
Milk yield [kg ECM cow-1 yr-1]
7227
7288
7053
6811
7431
7429
7125
6861
5820 
1) Sandy loam > 10% clay, Sand <10% clay
2) Livestock units (LSU), DK definition: 1 LSU = 100 kg total N in manure ex. storage, 0.85 LSU=1 dairy cow on 8,500 l milk year-1
3) N-efficiency = output of animals and livestock products/input of feed  

 

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

Soil type

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type (LSU ha-1)

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3

Org.

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3
Org.
Suckler
Inputs

 

     
 
Mineral fertiliser
104
81
41
0
104
93
66
0
117

Organic fert. & livestock1)
6
1
-59
1
8
1
-34
9
10
Supplement feed
42
108
307
41
46
104
232
48
28
Straw for bedding1)
0
6
10
6
0
6
14
7
0
Biological N-fixation
20
34
5
66
22
32
26
76
19
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
188
246
320
130
196
253
320
156
191
                   
Outputs
 
Milk
-21
-41
-68
-24
-23
-40
-58
-28
0
Meat
-8
-10
-21
-6
-8
-10
-20
-6
-19
Cash crops
-26
-8
-28
-7
-18
-4
-5
-2
-26
Total output
-55
-59
-117
-36
-49
-55
-83
-36
-45
 
 
Farm gate N-balance
133
187
204
94
147
198
236
120
146
N loss, stable and storage2)
-12
-23
-46
-16
-14
-23
-39
-18
-11

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Field N balance
120
161
156
76
132
173
194
100
134
Field N-efficiency3)
49%
46%
44%
60%
47%
44%
41%
56%
43%
 
 
N loss, field
 
Fertilisation, manure spreading2)
-10
-15
-18
-9
-11
-16
-20
-11
-9
Crops2)
-4
-4
-5
-2
-4
-4
-4
-2
-3
Denitrification2)
-29
-29
-32
-27
-12
-15
-17
-13
-11
Soil-N change
5
19
15
16
22
36
36
35
8
Leaching4)
-73
-96
-87
-24
-85
-104
-121
-41
-104
                   
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 mixed dairy farms in Denmark year 1999 (kg N ha-1 year-1)

Soil type

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type (LSU ha-1)

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3

Org.

<1.4

1.4-2.3

>2.3
Org.
Suckler
Inputs
Mineral fertiliser
104
81
41
0
104
93
66
0
117
Imported organic fertiliser
6
0
0
22
7
0
0
23
8
Manure from own herd1)
90
167
216
87
103
170
221
111
73
Biological N-fixation
20
34
5
66
22
32
26
76
19
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
235
298
277
191
251
311
328
226
234
 
Outputs
Cash crops
-5
-2
-15
-1
-4
-1
-2
0
-3
Grain
-21
-6
-13
-6
-14
-3
-3
-2
-24
Grain for feed2)
-21
-22
-31
-11
-20
-11
-9
-7
-13
Straw harvested
-9
-5
-8
-3
-7
-3
-2
-2
-8
Straw mulched3) (Not in output)
-3
0
0
0
-1
0
0
0
0
Roughage for feed2)
-61
-101
-53
-93
-73
-117
-117
-114
-53
Total output
-115
-138
-122
-115
-119
-138
-134
-126
-100
 
Field N balance
120
161
156
76
132
173
194
100
134
Field N-efficiency4)
49%
46%
44%
60%
47%
44%
41%
56%
43%

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

 

Administrative information

Data URL: http://www.lcafood.dk/processes/agriculture/N_balance_dairyfarms.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.