Development of agri-environmental indicators to assess dairy farm sustainability in Quebec, Eastern Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 421-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Bélanger ◽  
Anne Vanasse ◽  
Diane Parent ◽  
Guy Allard ◽  
Doris Pellerin
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Farm Sustainability

Improving Dairy Farm Sustainability I: An Approach to Animal and Crop Nutrient Management Planning

jpa ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. Klausner ◽  
D. G. Fox ◽  
C. N. Rasmussen ◽  
T. P. Tylutki ◽  
L. E. Chase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Farm Sustainability

scholarly journals Integrated Assessment of the EU’s Greening Reform and Feed Self-Sufficiency Scenarios on Dairy Farms in Piemonte, Italy

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Gaudino ◽  
Pytrik Reidsma ◽  
Argyris Kanellopoulos ◽  
Dario Sacco ◽  
Martin van Ittersum
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Sustainable Systems ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Farm Model ◽  
Ecological Focus Areas

Specialised dairy farms are challenged to be competitive and yet respect environmental constrains. A tighter integration of cropping and livestock systems, both in terms of feed and manure flows, can be beneficial for the farm economy and the environment. The greening of the direct payments, which was introduced in the European Union’s greening reform in 2013, is assumed to stimulate the transition towards more sustainable systems. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the impacts of greening policies on important economic and environmental indicators of sustainability, and explore potential further improvements in policies. The Farm System SIMulator (FSSIM) bioeconomic farm model was used to simulate the consequences of scenarios of policy change on three representative dairy farms in Piedmont, Italy, i.e., an ‘intensive’, an ‘extensive’, and an ‘organic’ dairy farm. Results showed that in general, there is a large potential to increase the current economic performance of all of the farms. The most profitable activity is milk production, resulting in the allocation of all of the available farm land to feed production. Imposing feed self-sufficiency targets results in a larger adaptation of current managerial practice than the adaptations that are required due to the greening policy scenario. It was shown that the cropping system is not always able to sustain the actual herd composition when 90% feed self-sufficiency is imposed. Regarding the greening policies, it is shown that extensive and organic farms already largely comply with the greening constrains, and the extra subsidy is therefore a bonus, while the intensive farm is likely to sacrifice the subsidy, as adapting the farm plan will substantially reduce profit. The introduction of nitrogen (N)-fixing crops in ecological focus areas was the easiest greening strategy to adopt, and led to an increase in the protein feed self-sufficiency. In conclusion, it is important to note that the greening policy in its current form does not lead to reduced environmental impacts. This implies that in order to improve environmental performance, regulations are needed rather than voluntary economic incentives.

scholarly journals Regenerative Architecture: An Application of Regionalist Sustainability in New Zealand Dairy Farming Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jacob Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Farming Practice ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
Farm Sustainability

<p>Over the past decade the New Zealand dairy industry has undergone unparalleled expansion in the agricultural sector. The influence of globalised market competition, beginning in 1985, has resulted in significant changes to the operation and scale of production of New Zealand farm conditions. With this, there have been a series of changes to the physical form of farming in New Zealand - most notably in a shift towards larger and more intensive practice. The term 'factory farming' has taken a unique and contextual evolution within these conditions, leading to questions of sustainability. Sustainability in this setting is often defined by production growth and trade conditions before more humanistic issues of social and ecological welfare.   Similar to the competing perspectives of New Zealand dairy farm sustainability, the discipline of architecture faces a wide and complex field of approaches to sustainable practice. The views of researcher, Steven Moore, are focused on in this study with regard to the contested definitions of architectural sustainability. He advocates a regionalist approach in the belief that sustainability is better defined by local circumstance than a universal best approach. Moore's theory of non-modem regionalism and regenerative architecture are utilised in this thesis as a means of questioning the issues faced in New Zealand dairy farm sustainability. This study applies Moore's concept of a regenerative architecture in New Zealand dairy farming to cultivate improved social and ecological conditions.  The architectural consequence of this discussion is in the form of a future mixed-use prototype for Canterbury dairy farming practice. This design explores the relationship between architecture, place and regionalist concepts of sustainability to improve the social and ecological attributes of this cultural setting. By taking a multidisciplinary approach to toward environmentally and socially sustainable dairy farming practices the design produces an integrated system that identifies with Moore's regenerative strategy. The study concludes that further architectural investigations into this setting could potentially influence and improve the future health and sustainability of the industry.</p>

Improving Dairy Farm Sustainability II: Environmental Losses and Nutrient Flows

jpa ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Hutson ◽  
R. E. Pitt ◽  
R. K. Koelsch ◽  
J. B. Houser ◽  
R. J. Wagenet
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Nutrient Flows ◽  
Farm Sustainability

Assessing dairy farm sustainability using whole-farm modelling and life cycle analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Mas ◽  
G. Pardo ◽  
E. Galán ◽  
A. del Prado
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Farm Sustainability

scholarly journals Regenerative Architecture: An Application of Regionalist Sustainability in New Zealand Dairy Farming Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jacob Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Farming Practice ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
Farm Sustainability

<p>Over the past decade the New Zealand dairy industry has undergone unparalleled expansion in the agricultural sector. The influence of globalised market competition, beginning in 1985, has resulted in significant changes to the operation and scale of production of New Zealand farm conditions. With this, there have been a series of changes to the physical form of farming in New Zealand - most notably in a shift towards larger and more intensive practice. The term 'factory farming' has taken a unique and contextual evolution within these conditions, leading to questions of sustainability. Sustainability in this setting is often defined by production growth and trade conditions before more humanistic issues of social and ecological welfare.   Similar to the competing perspectives of New Zealand dairy farm sustainability, the discipline of architecture faces a wide and complex field of approaches to sustainable practice. The views of researcher, Steven Moore, are focused on in this study with regard to the contested definitions of architectural sustainability. He advocates a regionalist approach in the belief that sustainability is better defined by local circumstance than a universal best approach. Moore's theory of non-modem regionalism and regenerative architecture are utilised in this thesis as a means of questioning the issues faced in New Zealand dairy farm sustainability. This study applies Moore's concept of a regenerative architecture in New Zealand dairy farming to cultivate improved social and ecological conditions.  The architectural consequence of this discussion is in the form of a future mixed-use prototype for Canterbury dairy farming practice. This design explores the relationship between architecture, place and regionalist concepts of sustainability to improve the social and ecological attributes of this cultural setting. By taking a multidisciplinary approach to toward environmentally and socially sustainable dairy farming practices the design produces an integrated system that identifies with Moore's regenerative strategy. The study concludes that further architectural investigations into this setting could potentially influence and improve the future health and sustainability of the industry.</p>

scholarly journals PSXI-2 An update on the development of the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) model

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 386-386
Author(s):  
Tayler L Hansen ◽  
Juan Tricarico ◽  
Kristan F Reed
Keyword(s):  
Animal Health ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Farm Systems ◽  
Systems Models ◽  
Farm Sustainability ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Research, extension, and education communities often focus on the adoption of single strategies because they lack the tools to integrate opportunities at a farm level. Modeling is the best approach to synchronize the complex linkages between animal health, animal-based protein production, water resources, and soil health on dairy farms. Available farm systems models have limitations that prevent scalability and adaptation to evolving technologies and scientific knowledge. Participatory modeling with corporate partners and farmers is being used to create the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) model. RuFaS tracks the flows of nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus through four biophysical modules: soil and crop, feed storage, animal herd, and manure. Users input farm variables through tiered files, from general farm information (e.g., crop type, animal numbers, field characteristics) to advanced inputs (e.g., soil characteristics, milk production parameters). The soil and crop module predicts alfalfa, corn, and soybean growth. The animal module uses a Monte-Carlo approach to determine individual animal characteristics and production, incorporating breed traits, reproduction protocols, and animal management decisions. RuFaS calculates animal nutrient requirements from NRC equations, which are averaged on a pen basis to reflect industry practices. A nutritional grouping algorithm can allocate lactating cows to different pens. Manure processing and feed storage modules are currently being developed. RuFaS is coded in python, a general-purpose programming language emphasizing readability. Pool and flux values are stored daily and transferred to an output generator before being cleared annually. Simulation data can be summarized to determine resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, and the cost of production. RuFaS will be available as open-source software to radically change users’ access to dairy farm systems models. The completed RuFaS model will be an essential tool for researchers to evaluate strategies for farm sustainability, and we anticipate the first version of RuFaS will be available in 2021.

Challenges of the Crisis: How to Measure Sustainable Development?

2015 ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bobylev ◽  
N. Zubarevich ◽  
S. Solovyeva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Calculation Methods ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Index ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Sustainable Development Indicators ◽  
Adjusted Net Savings

The article emphasizes the fact that traditional socio-economic indicators do not reflect the challenges of sustainable development adequately, and this is particularly true for the widely-used GDP indicator. In this connection the elaboration of sustainable development indicators is needed, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. For Russia, adaptation and use of concepts and basic principles of calculation methods for adjusted net savings index (World Bank) and human development index (UNDP) as integral indicators can be promising. The authors have developed the sustainable development index for Russia, which aggregates and allows taking into account balanced economic, social and environmental indicators.

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