?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Energy+use+in+organic+farming+systems+(OF0182)&rft.creator=Cormack%2C+Dr+William+F.&rft.subject=+Environmental+aspects&rft.subject=+Farming+Systems&rft.subject=+Air+and+water+emissions&rft.description=This+is+the+final+report+of+Defra+project+OF0182.+The+attached+main+report+starts+with+a+more+detailed+Executive+Summary%2C+from+which+most+of+this+text+is+extracted.%0D%0AOne+of+the+possible+benefits+from+organic+farming+is+a+reduced%2C+or+more+efficient%2C+use+of+energy+in+agriculture.+The+main+objective+and+deliverable+of+study+OF0182+was+to+develop+a+model+of+energy+inputs+in+organic+farming+systems.+To+illustrate+the+potential+of+the+model%2C+it+was+used+to+contrast+organic+with+similar+conventional+systems+and+to+highlight+important+differences.+This+was+presented+as+a+detailed+written+report+(49+pages)+to+MAFF+and+is+summarised+in+this+document.+The+report+and+model+were+delivered+to+MAFF+in+March+2000.%0D%0AA+previous+study%2C+completed+by+Phil+Metcalfe+of+ADAS+in+1996+for+MAFF+ARP+Division%2C+entitled+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9CA+Comparison+of+Energy+use+in+Organic+and+Conventional+Agricultural+Production+Systems%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D%2C+compared+direct+and+indirect+energy+use+in+simple+individual+crop+and+livestock+enterprise+models.+These+were+combined+to+give+whole-system+models+covering+dairy%2C+beef+and+arable+farming.+These+systems+were+presented+as+organic+conversion+scenarios+in+the+MAFF+booklet+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9COrganic+Conversion+Information+Service%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+(1996).+Project+OF0182+updates+the+models+developed+in+1996+and+expands+the+study+to+include+upland+beef+and+sheep%2C+and+vegetables.+The+dairy%2C+vegetables%2C+arable+and+upland+beef%2Fsheep+models+are+based+on+the+MAFF+funded+studies+OF0146%2C+OF0126%2C+OF0145+and+OF0147+respectively.+The+study+also+included+a+consideration+of+food+distribution+costs+and+the+possible+substitution+of+labour+for+energy.+The+data+was+organised+into+a+system+of+linked+spreadsheets+to+form+the+model%0D%0AThe+dominant+energy+inputs+in+conventional+agriculture+are+indirect+energy+for+the+manufacture+and+transport+of+fertilisers%2C+particularly+nitrogen%2C+and+indirect+energy+for+the+manufacture+and+transport+of+pesticides.+These+together+account+for+around+50%25+of+the+total+energy+input+to+a+potato+or+winter+wheat+crop%2C+and+as+much+as+80%25+of+the+energy+input+into+some+vegetable+crops.+Organically+grown+crops+require+around+50%25+of+the+energy+input+per+unit+area+than+do+conventional+crops%2C+largely+because+of+lower%2C+or+zero%2C+fertiliser+and+pesticide+energy+inputs.+However%2C+the+generally+lower+yields+of+organic+crop+and+vegetable+systems+reduce+the+advantage+to+organic+when+energy+input+is+calculated+on+a+unit+output+basis.+In+stockless+arable+crop+rotations%2C+the+inclusion+of+fertility+building+crops+and+winter+cover+crops%2C+that+have+energy+inputs+but+no+direct+outputs%2C+can+result+in+a+lower+whole-rotation+energy+efficiency+from+organic+methods.+In+livestock+systems%2C+where+the+fall+in+output+may+be+less+than+in+arable%2C+and+there+are+no+dedicated+fertility+building+crops%2C+overall+energy+efficiency+is+greater+in+organic+than+in+comparable+conventional+systems.%0D%0AThese+conclusions+were+made+using+average+yield+data+in+the+model+and+need+to+be+interpreted+with+caution.+On+more+fertile+soil%2C+where+the+yield+difference+with+conventional+arable+production+is+smaller%2C+organic+systems+would+perform+relatively+better.+The+converse+would+occur+on+poorer+soils.+Also%2C+in+practice%2C+energy+inputs+for+cultivations+and+weed+control+will+vary+with+soil+type%2C+weather%2C+weed+spectrum+and+population.+The+average+data+presented+in+the+report+are+illustrative+and+are+not+definitive.+The+strength+of+the+model+is+that+it+can+be+used+to+simulate+many+different+management+systems+and+yield+expectations.%0D%0AThe+models+also+allowed+a+range+of+transport+scenarios+to+be+considered.+There+was+little+opportunity+found+for+replacing+energy+with+labour+resources.&rft.date=2000&rft.type=Report&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8169%2F1%2FOF0182_181_FRP.pdf&rft.identifier=Cormack%2C+Dr+William+F.+(2000)+Energy+use+in+organic+farming+systems+(OF0182).&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8169%2F