home    about    browse    search    latest    help 
Login | Create Account

Utilising the concept of nutrients as a currency within organic farming system

Topp, Cairistiona F E; Watson, Christine A and Stockdale, Elizabeth (2002) Utilising the concept of nutrients as a currency within organic farming system. In: Powell, Jane and et al. (Eds.) Proceedings of the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference, Organic Centre Wales, Institute of Rural Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth, pp. 157-160.

[thumbnail of topp_nutrients_currency.pdf] PDF - English
225kB


Summary

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference.Within organic systems, the successful management of nutrients at the field level is crucial for maximising production and minimising the environmental impacts. This requires that the farmer makes the best possible use of nutrients excreted by the grazing or housed livestock. In addition, the farmer must successfully manage the nutrients built-up in the ley phase of the crop rotation over the whole of the arable phase period. To analyse these complex flows, a nutrient budget model has been developed that describes the spatial and temporal flows within the organic farming system. The concept is analogous to treating nutrients as a currency where the flow of nutrients represents a cashflow. A spatial nutrient budget permits the analyses of the performance of the nutrient flows to be examined for the housing, manure, livestock, rotational land and permanent pasture to be analysed separately. This analysis will allow the farmer to better understand the weaknesses in the system, and hence take preventative measures.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Paper
Keywords:Colloquium of Organic Researchers; COR; nutrient budget; currency; spatial; temporal; resource use; farm planning; farming system; nutrient management
Subjects: Farming Systems > Farm nutrient management
Research affiliation: UK
UK > Colloquium of Organic Researchers (COR) > COR 2002
UK > Other organizations
UK > Scottish Rural Colleges (SRUC - previously SAC)
Deposited By: Powell, Ms Jane
ID Code:8305
Deposited On:11 Oct 2006
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:33
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics