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Nitrogen balance from cash crop farms (2002)

  Denmark
2002

The Danish aquatic environment plan focuses on reducing nitrogen discharge to the aquatic environment. Farming is one of the major contributors to this discharge, which is why it is useful to have an overview of the nitrogen balance and emissions in Danish farming. The data presented here refers to the Nitrogen use and losses in different types of Danish cash crop farms in 2002.The different farm types are set according to soil type and major enterprise and they can be seen here. For process description, data collection and treatment etc. please look at the processes for each farm type (here). For more details on the Nitrogen balance method see here.

The Nitrogen balance data is presented in three tables:

Table 1. Characteristics of area, land use and yields per hectare for full time cash crop farm types in Denmark year 2002

Table 2. Farm gate N-turnover and -loss at cash crop farms in Denmark year 2002

Table 3. Field level N-turnover at cash crop farms in Denmark year 2002

 

Table 1. Characteristics of area, land use and yields per hectare for full time cash crop farm types in Denmark year 2002 (average by farm)

Soil type1)

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Representativity
 

 

 
 
Number of farms in data set
96
66
68
49
38
25
67
128
90
Area represented by farm type [1000ha]
177
156
171
17
40
44
175
60
94
Herd data
Dairy per farm [cows farm-1]
7
1
0
0
13
3
0
0
20
LSU2) per farm [LSU farm-1]
35
35
4
8
66
48
3
15
87
Area
Total farm area [ha farm-1]
93
118
76
29
41
111
95
44
45

Crop rotation [% of farm area]

Permanent grass
1
1
2
6
6
2
1
7
11
Set-aside
7
8
9
9
73
8
11
10
7
Cereal for harvest
62
62
75
52
60
48
74
46
46
Maize/whole crop silage
2
0
0
7
13
3
1
14
17
Grass/clover in rotation
1
1
1
11
10
2
1
15
14
Production
Cereal yield [100 kg ha-1]
70
67
65
34
57
55
56
32
52
Peas [100 kg ha-1]
42
41
47
33
38
41
37
25
24
Rape[100 kg ha-1]
29
29
26
47
30
25
24
5
28
Potatoes [100 kg ha-1]
300
221
231
109
0
273
206
160
185
Sugar beet [100 kg ha-1]
96
88
85
0
80
65
84
95
53
Grass seed [100 kg ha-1]
9
11
10
9
10
8
12
11
13
Clover seed [100 kg ha-1]
4
5
6
1
0
0
0
0
0
Milk yield [kg ECM cow-1 yr-1] 7804
7426
0
0
8027
8150
0
0
7577
1) Sandy loam > 5 % clay, sand < 5 % clay
2) Livestock units (LSU), DK definition: 1 LSU = 100 kg total N in manure ex stable, 0.85 LSU=1 dairy cow on 8,500 l milk year-1

Table 2. Farm gate N-turnover and -loss at cash crop farms in Denmark year 2002 (kg N ha-1 year-1)

Soil type

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Inputs
 

 

 
 
Mineral fertiliser
99
102
124
0
81
93
94
0
54

Organic fert. & live stock1)

8
9
12
29
10
34
28
43
11
Supplement feed
27
23
2
14
167
30
0
20
246
Biological N-fixation
4
4
6
37
12
3
4
45
16
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
153
154
160
97
286
176
143
124
344
 
Outputs
Milk
-3
0
0
0
-13
-1
0
0
-18
Meat
-16
-19
-1
-8
-74
-24
-1
-14
-115
Cash crops
-77
-61
-89
-27
-19
-42
-71
-20
-12
Straw1)
-3
-5
-5
0
0
-3
-6
0
0
Total output
-99
-85
-94
-35
-107
-70
-78
-35
-145
 
Farm gate N-balance
54
69
66
62
179
106
65
89
199
N loss, stable and storage2)
-6
-5
-1
-4
-25
-7
0
-5
-38

 

Field N balance
48
63
65
58
150
98
65
83
155
Field N-efficiency3)
69%
59%
60%
45%
40%
46%
55%
39%
41%
 
N loss, field
Fertilisation, manure spreading2)
-6
-6
-5
-5
-15
-9
-5
-7
-15
Crops2)
-5
-5
-5
-2
-4
-5
-5
-2
-4
Denitrification2)
-13
-12
-12
-16
-26
-5
-4
-9
-9
Soil-N change2)
2
1
-1
-10
3
10
-4
1
14
Leaching4)
-22
-39
-45
-45
-103
-69
-55
-64
-115

1) Net import = import-export of manure, straw and living animals
2) Calculated standard ammonia emission and denitrification
3) N-efficiency = 100 * output/input
4) Leaching = field N balance - N aerial loss (fertilization + crops + denitrification) +/- soil-N changes

Table 3. Field level N-turnover at cash crop farms in Denmark year 2002 (kg N ha-1 year-1)

Soil type

Sandy loam

Sand

Farm type

Sugar beet
Seed
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Potatoes
Cereal
Org.
Rest
Inputs
Mineral fertiliser
99
102
124
0
81
93
94
0
56
Imported organic fertiliser
5
5
12
29
0
28
28
41
0
Manure from own herd1)
33
25
5
22
143
41
3
35
177
Biological N-fixation
4
4
6
37
12
3
4
45
16
Deposition and precipitation
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
Total input
156
152
163
104
252
181
146
137
263
 
Outputs
Cash crops
-27
-12
-7
-3
-4
-21
-4
-1
-2
Grain
-50
-49
-82
-24
-16
-21
-67
-20
-10
Grain for feed2)
-20
-20
-1
-9
-38
-27
0
-8
-29
Straw harvested
-13
-18
-15
-8
-11
-10
-14
-6
-8
Straw mulched3) (Not in output)
-9
-13
-10
-7
-1
-4
-8
-3
0
Roughage for feed2)
-7
-3
-3
-10
-43
-8
-3
-23
-60
Roughage not utilized by own herd (Not in output)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-1
Total output
-108
-89
-98
-47
-101
-83
-81
-54
-109
 
Field N balance
48
63
65
58
150
98
65
83
155
Field N-efficiency4)
69%
59%
60%
45%
40%
46%
55%
39%
41%

1) After deduction of ammonia loss in stables, storage and sold manure, see farm gate balance
2) Feed used in own herd
3) Straw left on field, not included in balance but used in soil-N modeling
4) N-efficiency = 100 * output/input

Administrative information

Data URL: http://www.lcafood.dk/processes/agriculture/N_balance_cash_crop_farms.html
Version no.: 1.00
Author: Ib Sillebak Kristensen, Danish Institute of Agricultural Science.
Data responsible: Ib Sillebak Kristensen, DIAS

Contact:

Data entry: Transformed into this format by Rikke Frederiksen, DIAS
Data completed: HTML format: November 2004.