Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
 

Research Project: MANAGING FARMS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND PROFIT

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Economic and phosphorus-related effects of precision feeding and forage management at a farm scale

Authors
item Veith, Tameria
item Ghebremichael, Lula -

Submitted to: Extension Fact Sheets
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 7, 2011
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Citation: Veith, T.L., Ghebremichael, L.T. 2011. Economic and phosphorus-related effects of precision feeding and forage management at a farm scale. NEPC Fact Sheets. p. 1.

Interpretive Summary: An interpretive summary is not required.

Technical Abstract: A system-level redesign of farm management is needed to maintain economic viability of the farm while addressing phosphorous imbalance problems caused by many current practices. One innovative strategy, precision feed management (PFM), reduces soil-phosphorus build-up by limiting feed and fertilizer purchases and increasing high-quality homegrown forage production. Variations of this strategy were simulated with a whole-farm model, Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). Results showed that feeding phosphorous based on required dietary needs, increasing grass forage productivity, and increasing the proportion of high-quality forage in the diet reduced the phosphorus imbalance of two New York dairy farms from 5.3 to 0.5 kg/ ha and 9.6 to 0.0 kg/ha, respectively. For both farms, soluble phosphorus lost to the environment was reduced by 18%. Feed supplement purchases declined annually by 7.5 kg/cow for dietary mineral phosphorus and by 1.04 and 1.29 t/cow for protein concentrates through adoption of PFM. When land was converted from corn to grass in addition to the PFM system, IFSM predicted annual reductions of 5.8 and 9.3 kg/ha sediment-bound phosphorus loss through erosion from the converted land. The model-based studies conducted on a farm-by-farm basis complement farm planning efforts in exploring innovative farming systems.

   

 
Project Team
Rotz, Clarence - Al
Veith, Tameria - Tamie
Bryant, Ray
Dell, Curtis
Skinner, Robert - Howard
 
Publications
   Publications
 
Related National Programs
  Climate Change, Soils, and Emissions (212)
  Agricultural System Competitiveness and Sustainability (216)
 
Related Projects
   MODELING SILAGE EMISSIONS FOR IMPROVED AIR QUALITY
   Quantification of the Emission Reduction Benefits of Mitigation Strategies for Dairy Silage
   Environmental Assessment of U.S. Beef Production Systems
 
 
Last Modified: 05/20/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House