Nitrogen flows and livestock farming: lessons and perspectives

This article describes the nitrogen flows in the environment and points to the specificities of the livestock production. Till the beginning of the 20th century, the symbiotic fixation and the recycling of animal excreta supplied the nitrogen necessary for the fertility of soil. In 1913, the Haber-Bosch process allowed the industrial synthesis of ammonia and made possible the fertilisation without association of crop production with the livestock farming. The efficiency of the nitrogen in livestock farming is low with nearly half or more of the inputs losses to the environment. These losses have diverse impacts that intervene at various spatial scales owing to the nitrogen cascade. Quantitative assessment of nitrogen flows at the scale of regions started in the early 1980s in Western Europe and North America. These studies provided estimates of the spatial variability of nitrogen discharge within a region. They confirmed the differences between areas with a high animal density such as Brittany (western region, France) and other regions. It was also found that the same nitrogenous losses could lead to different levels of environmental impacts according to the sensibility of a given environment and its capacity to cope with nitrogen excess. Climate, soils characteristics, animal density, and proportions of agricultural land under annual and perennial crops are drivers of this sensibility.

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Tools for evaluating and regulating nitrogen impacts in livestock farming systems

Advances in Animal Biosciences ◽

10.1017/s2040470014000284 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (s1) ◽

pp. 49-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

C. Bockstaller ◽

F. Vertès ◽

J.-L. Fiorelli ◽

P. Rochette ◽

H. F. M. Aarts

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Assessment ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Nitrogen Losses ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Balance Sheets ◽

Livestock Farming Systems ◽

Direct Measurements ◽

The Difference ◽

Nitrogen Flows

This article describes several indicators and methods for estimating nitrogen flows and balance sheets. It reviews their strengths and weaknesses according to user types and their objectives. The nitrogen balance sheets, based on the difference between inputs and outputs are by far the most-often used estimator of nitrogen management on livestock farms. Among those, the soil surface balance helps in guiding the fertilisation and the farmgate balance is logically higher. The indicators of practices are easy to use but are poor predictors of nitrogen losses, whereas the indicators of emissions allow for estimating nitrogen losses using either direct measurements or models thereby providing a dynamic assessment of these flows. The coupling of balance sheets and indicators of emissions offers a certain potential for improvement of diagnosis and support of decision making. Finally, the indicators of impacts, including the life cycle analyses are currently the most popular for qualifying the impacts of animal production.

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Assessment of Nitrogen Flows at Farm and Regional Level When Developing the Manure Management System for Large-Scale Livestock Enterprises in North-West Russia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126614 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6614

Author(s):

Aleksandr Briukhanov ◽

Eduard Vasilev ◽

Natalia Kozlova ◽

Ekaterina Shalavina

Keyword(s):

Hot Spots ◽

Large Scale ◽

Environmentally Friendly ◽

Regional Level ◽

Manure Management ◽

Leningrad Region ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Nitrogen Surplus ◽

Animal Density ◽

Nitrogen Flows

Arranging efficient manure management is the major environmental challenge in livestock farming in the Leningrad Region, with manure nitrogen being regarded as the main pollution source. The study aimed to identify the baselines for taking integrated manure management decisions towards reducing nitrogen losses applying nitrogen surplus and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) as indicators calculated at the regional and municipal district level. At the regional level, NUE was found to be 34% and N surplus was 103 kg ha−1. Eleven “environmentally friendly” districts had a mean NUE of 59%, a mean N surplus 39.6 kg ha−1 and a mean animal density 0.89 LSU ha−1. Four districts were identified as “hot spots”, with an animal density in the range from 2.6 to 67 LSU ha−1, NUE from 1 to 37% and N surplus from 87 to 3082 kg ha−1. A scenario was suggested for the redistribution of organic fertilisers between “hot spots” and “environmentally friendly” districts, allowing each district to increase the N surplus to the regional value. Nitrogen flows and measures improving NUE at the farm level through organisational activity and advanced practices were considered with the help of the “N input − N output” diagram and the example of the nitrogen flows on a pilot dairy farm.

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Monitoring land use change in the Lake Taupo catchment between 1975, 1990 and 2002 using satellite remote sensing data

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.2007.69.2680 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 17-22

Author(s):

H. Lilienthal ◽

A. Brauer ◽

K. Betteridge ◽

E. Schnug

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Satellite Remote Sensing ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Lake Water Quality ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Slow Decline

Conversion of native vegetation into farmed grassland in the Lake Taupo catchment commenced in the late 1950s. The lake's iconic value is being threatened by the slow decline in lake water quality that has become apparent since the 1970s. Keywords: satellite remote sensing, nitrate leaching, land use change, livestock farming, land management

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Hill farming - An opinion on the future

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.2011.73.2837 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

G.W. Sheath

Keyword(s):

Livestock Farming ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The Future ◽

Hill Farming

This paper is not a formal review of hill farming literature. Rather, it is my view on the critical challenges and changes that we need to deal with if mixed livestock farming on hill lands is to be successful over the next 20 years. It is my hope that industry leaders, policy makers and agribusiness managers will give consideration to these views. Some people say that it is not smart to look into the rear-vision mirror, but I do not agree. Having a better understanding of the consequences of past events can help guide future decisions and changes.

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Recent Situation and Managerial Problems of Livestock Farming in Japan under the Recession

Nihon Chikusan Gakkaiho ◽

10.2508/chikusan.54.423 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 54 (7) ◽

pp. 423-432

Author(s):

Hajime ARAI

Keyword(s):

Livestock Farming

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Assessment of ecosystem services provided by livestock agroecosystems in the tropics: a case study of tropical island environment of Guadeloupe

Tropical Animal Health and Production ◽

10.1007/s11250-021-02880-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

Author(s):

J.-L. Gourdine ◽

A. Fourcot ◽

C. Lefloch ◽

M. Naves ◽

G. Alexandre

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Farming System ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Tropical Island ◽

Cultural Aspects ◽

Livestock Farming System ◽

Agroecological Zones ◽

The Tropics ◽

Cluster 2

AbstractThe present study aims to assess (1) the ecosystem services (ES) provided by LFS and (2) the differential ES between local (Creole) and exotic breeds from pig, cattle and goat. The ES are defined as the benefits that humans derive from LFS. They were summarized in 12 ES indicators that cover services related to provisioning, ecological and socio-cultural aspects and territorial vitality. A total of 106 LFS units that covers the five agroecological zones of Guadeloupe were analysed. Functional typologies of LFS per species were created from surveys. The effect of breed on the ES indicators was tested. Results showed that the 40 pig LFS units were separated into 3 clusters that were differentiated in ES according to provisioning ES (cluster 1), cultural use and sale to the neighborhood (cluster 2) and pork self-consumption (cluster 3). The typology of the 57 farms with cattle distinguished 4 clusters with differences in ES provided in self-consumption (cluster1), ecological ES (cluster 2), socio-cultural ES for racing or draught oxen (cluster 3) and ES associated with territory vitality (cluster 4). The 66 goat LFS units were classified into 3 clusters different in ES concerning self-consumption (cluster 1), cultural aspects (cluster 2) and provisioning ES (cluster 3). Our study highlights that ES indicators are not breed dependent (P > 0.10) but rather livestock farming system dependent. The ES rely more on the rearing management than on the breed type, and up to now, there are no specifications in Guadeloupe to differentiate management between breeds.

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