4377: Mineral load on the paddock of organic sows in the Netherlands

Ivanova-Peneva, Sonya; Aarnink, Andrè and Verstegen, Martin (2005) Mineral load on the paddock of organic sows in the Netherlands. Paper presented at Researching Sustainable Systems - International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture, Adelaide, Australia, September 21-23, 2005.

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Summary

The main aim of this study was to quantify nutrient deposition on the paddock in Dutch organic pig farms. Observations of excreting behaviour of grazing sows were carried out at three farms in each of two measuring seasons (spring/summer and autumn). The nutrient loads of N, P and K were calculated according to their content in urine and faeces, average weight of urine and faeces per excretion, and number of urinations and defecations done in the paddock. The N and P loads on the paddock varied greatly between the organic pig farms (P<0.01 for N, not significant for P and P<0.05 for K). The total amount of nutrients on two of the farms far exceeded the permitted levels (170 kg.ha-1year-1 for N and 44 kg.ha-1year-1 for P). On all three farms, faeces were unevenly distributed in the paddock. Regular rotation of paddocks resulted in a more uniform distribution.

Document Language:	English
Keywords:	organic farming, sows, nutrient load, paddock, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium
Subject Areas:	Animal husbandry > Production systems
Research affiliation:	International Conferences > ISOFAR conferences > Researching Sustainable Systems 2005
Total budget (Euro):	0
Orgprints ID Number:	4377
Contact:	ISOFAR,
Deposited On:	18 November 2006
EPrint Type:	Conference paper
Published?:	Unpublished
Peer Review Status:	Not peer-reviewed
Additional Publishing Information:	The paper archived here is the final paper submitted by the authors to the conference Researching Sustainable Systems. The final and edited papers are available at the following publication: Köpke, Ulrich; Niggli, Urs; Neuhoff, Daniel; Cornish, Peter; Lockeretz, Willie und Willer, Helga, (Hrsg.) (2005) Researching Sustainable Systems. Proceedings of the First Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) Held in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), 21 - 23 September 2005, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, South Australia. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick, and International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL), DE-University of Bonn. http://orgprints.org/4013/ Distribution: Paper copies may be ordered from FiBL at a cost of 28 Euros plus mailing costs (see FiBL shop at http://www.fibl.org/shop); FiBL order number 1394. A PDF version of the proceedings is available free of charge for ISOFAR members via the member area of www.isofar.org. The final papers submitted by the authors are available at http://orgprints.org/view/projects/int-conf-isofar-2005.html.

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