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- Hessle, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Combining environmentally and economically sustainable dairy and beef production in Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Agricultural Systems. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0308-521X .- 1873-2267. ; 156, s. 105-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To achieve a more sustainable food sector, a supply chain approach is needed. In this study, experts in different areas along supply chains co-operated in an interactive process to define future environmentally sustainable supply chains of milk and beef. The basis was to use existing techniques, to have production performance corresponding to the best quartile of today and to consider other sustainability aspects, such as economics. The work resulted in concrete descriptions of alternative product chains for delivered milk and beef. To also permit concrete descriptions of the latter part of the product chains, two consumer-packed end products were selected for monitoring, namely fresh milk and sirloin steak. The production systems investigated comprised cropping, livestock production, industrial processing and production, logistics, packaging and wastage and distribution, but not retailers or consumers. The study area was a Swedish county and the reference level was its production of milk and beef in 2012. The future product chains were assumed to deliver the same amounts of commodities as in 2012, but with reduced environmental impact. Primary production was required to be at least as profitable as today. Beside description of the current situation, three alternative scenarios were created, focusing on delivery of ecosystem services, plant nutrient circulation and minimising climate impact, respectively. Life cycle assessments were performed for these four scenarios (reference plus three alternative scenarios) for single-product chains and county-wide. Furthermore, production costs in primary production were calculated for the four scenarios. The results revealed great potential to reduce the negative environmental impact of Swedish dairy and beef production at current volumes, irrespective of whether ecosystem services, plant nutrient circulation or climate impact is in focus. The single most important factor for decreased environmental impact for livestock production was increased production efficiency. Measures in agriculture, especially concerning feeds, were critical, but actions in processing and distribution also contributed. All alternative scenarios resulted in lower production costs than at present. It was obvious that as dairy and beef systems are connected, the potential for their environmental improvement must be analysed together. In conclusion, increased efficiency can decrease the negative environmental impact of Swedish cattle production and also reduce costs to the farmer.
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- Holmström, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Merging Small Scattered Pastures into Large Pasture-Forest Mosaics Can Improve Profitability in Swedish Suckler-Based Beef Production
- 2018
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Ingår i: Land. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-445X. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A scattered structure of small pastures has negative effects on profitability in beef enterprises because small enclosures result in high labor costs per livestock unit. Moreover, larger enterprises distribute the costs across more livestock units and hence achieve lower operating costs. Creating larger coherent pastures makes it easier to increase herd size and yields positive effects due to economies of scale. This study on five Swedish organic cow-calf enterprises examined how profitability is affected by creating larger pastures from small scattered pastures and adjacent forest land. Additional income, additional costs, reduced income and reduced costs were taken into account using a partial budgeting technique. A change to larger coherent pastures was found to be profitable for all enterprises examined. Agri-environmental payments and supports were the most important benefit from creating larger pastures, followed by income increases and cost reductions resulting from economies of scale and improved consolidation. Income reductions due to premature final felling (clearcutting of forest land) and the opportunity cost of forest land did not have a major influence. To conclude, creating large coherent pasture-forest mosaics by merging small scattered enclosures is profitable for Swedish organic cow-calf enterprises.
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- Johansson, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Cold-pressed rapeseed cake or full fat rapeseed to organic dairy cows - milk production and profitability
- 2015
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Ingår i: Organic Agriculture. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1879-4238 .- 1879-4246. ; 5, s. 29-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interest in growing and feeding locally produced feeds is increasing. Case studies in Sweden have shown that feeds grown on-farm are more environmentally favourable than imported feeds, partly due to the lower energy requirements for transport. Full fat rapeseed (FFRS) and its co-product cold-pressed rapeseed cake (CRC) can both be locally produced, and CRC has been proven to be suitable for dairy cows. In both feeds, fat content limits the amount that can be supplemented in the diet, and less FFRS than CRC can be used. However, in a previous study with scenario calculations, CRC showed lower profitability than FFRS. The present study examined how milk yield and milk composition were influenced by feeding FFRS compared with CRC in organic diets and calculated the farm profitability on each occasion. The study was performed using 56 Swedish Holstein cows in different lactation stages. Diets were 100% organic, including a mixed ration (silage, grains and minerals) fed ad libitum and a restricted amount of concentrates (field beans together with either CRC or ground FFRS). There were no significant differences in milk yield and composition between the diets. However, cows fed FFRS had a higher intake of the mixed ration than cows fed CRC. Cows fed CRC had the highest profitability in later lactation, whereas the diets were economically similar during early lactation.
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- Johansson, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Using clover/grass silage as a protein feed for dairy bull calves
- 2016
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Ingår i: Organic Agriculture. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1879-4238 .- 1879-4246. ; 6, s. 57-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract Soybean meal (SBM) is globally used as a protein feed of good nutritional quality, e.g. for calves. However, the environmental impact of soybean cultivation is often questioned and SBM can therefore of ethical reasons be replaced by nitrogen-fixing forage and grain legumes and rapeseed products. In two experiments (exp.), we examined whether feeding dairy bull calves forages with a high inclusion of red clover together with cold-pressed rapeseed cake (CRC; exps. 1 and 2) and field bean (FB; exp. 2) met their protein requirement for proper growth, and calculated the profitability of using these diets. The calves were allocated to one of three protein feed treatments per experiment and studied from 97 to 275 kg live weight. In exp. 1, red clover/grass silage was combined with either smaller or greater amounts of CRC, which was compared with SBM. In exp. 2, red clover/grass silage, CRC and FB were combined with silage constituting 40, 50 or 60 % of DM in the total diet, to find the best combination. The profitability was calculated as value of calf gain minus feed costs. Soybean meal gave the highest live weight gain (LWG) and profitability in exp. 1, closely followed by the diet with greater amount of CRC together with clover/ grass silage. In exp. 2, the diets with 40 or 50 % silage resulted in similar DM intake and LWG, both higher than with 60 % silage. At conventional prices, the 40 % silage diet had the highest profitability, whereas at organic prices, the 50 % silage diet was more profitable.
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