tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post8362727183404795995..comments2024-03-15T03:15:42.076+13:00Comments on Milking on the Moove by Glen Herud: Nitrate Leaching OverviewAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15413783435112851071noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-11614590218582461302014-06-03T17:10:36.423+12:002014-06-03T17:10:36.423+12:00Hi Anonymous,
Based on your comments above, what i...Hi Anonymous,<br />Based on your comments above, what is your theory about the decline in water quality? Is it declining? If so, what is causing it? <br />Cheers, TrevorTrlahhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15572529013865698600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-89733963036947334922013-05-27T15:21:25.542+12:002013-05-27T15:21:25.542+12:00In total litre terms, I assume it will be the same...In total litre terms, I assume it will be the same. I think a cow urinates about 25-30 litres/day and from memory a sheep is 4 litres/day. <br />So you could say that 8 sheep *4 litre= 32L which is about the same as one cow.<br /><br />But the issue is not the total quantity but the quantity of each urination. A cow urinates about 10 times/day, so 32 Litres/10=3.2Litres in each urine patch and if a sheep urinates 10 times a day they have 400mls per urine patch.<br /><br />The grass is much more able to absorb the 400mls worth of N compared to 3.2litres produced from a cow.<br /><br />Does that sound right?<br /><br />Cheers<br />Glen<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413783435112851071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-19858822918861146292013-05-27T15:10:36.800+12:002013-05-27T15:10:36.800+12:00I know that feed certainly affects the concentrati...I know that feed certainly affects the concentration of N in the urine, but I have not looked into it too much. My feeling is that the highly concentrated meals etc will result in higher N concentrations. As for pasture, I really have no idea how N fert application effects the content of N in the urine. <br />I suppose you are saying that pasture with no N fert will result in less N in the urine. Thats well beyond my knowledge. <br /><br />Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />Cheers<br />GlenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413783435112851071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-78976482196261042572013-05-27T14:26:08.795+12:002013-05-27T14:26:08.795+12:00Does 1 cow urinate more than 8 sheep do?Does 1 cow urinate more than 8 sheep do?sheep2cowsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-1336541879108102312013-05-26T11:43:46.304+12:002013-05-26T11:43:46.304+12:00hi Glen
I'm interested in a slightly deeper a...hi Glen<br /><br />I'm interested in a slightly deeper analysis. You start from cow piss, but how does the N get into the cow piss and what factors affect the amount of it? My intuition is that it comes from feed that is high in N, and that spreading lots of N on the paddock adds N to the cow's feed. Would you agree, and if so isn't blaming cow piss seriously understating the role of urea?jpsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-38718322951868665262013-05-22T21:59:58.165+12:002013-05-22T21:59:58.165+12:00Hi Mr E
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Whe...Hi Mr E<br />Thanks for taking the time to comment.<br />Whenever dairy pollution or intensive dairy are mentioned, the public assume the issue is dairy effluent and unfenced waterways.<br />What I wanted to explain here. Is that N leaching on dairy farms is a result of the urine patch. A fact the public are not aware of.<br /><br />The table above shows that market gardening has a very high leaching rate, and no stock are involved in that farming system. So I'm not simply blaming cows for N leaching.<br /><br />Of course there are many factors that determine the rate of N leaching like soil types etc. But no one can deny that 1,000s of ha have been converted from sheep (low leaching) to dairy over the past 15 years, which have a much higher rate of N leaching, simply because nature made cows urinate a higher volume than sheep.<br /><br />I'm happy to corrected, but intensification surely means more stock or production/ha or both. I would assume a 250ha irrigated property on Canterbury with a stocking rate of 1cow/ha will leach less than if it ran 2.7cowa/ha.<br />So intensification is a relevant factor.<br /><br />If that same farm was running beef cows at 2.7 cows/ha, then surely it would have the same leaching as if it was a dairy farm. <br /><br />Cheers<br />Glen<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413783435112851071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-8483877957502796232013-05-22T09:12:35.189+12:002013-05-22T09:12:35.189+12:00Basic understanding for a lay person there Glen. B...Basic understanding for a lay person there Glen. But I worry such a basic understanding is bad for the public. I think we need to make it clear that cows alone are not a problem, that nitrogen alone is not a problem, that light soils alone are not a problem. It is a complex interaction of conditions. High stocking rates of cows does not mean high leaching. However put high stocking rates with high amounts of N applied and light soils and you would potentially.<br />Farmers are bombarded with terms like intensification. I consider it to be a nothing term. Most people consider intensification as high stocking rates. High stocking rates are not the problem. Farmers with high stocking rates should not be accused of being polluters. And the cow should not be blamed as it has been here. The interaction should be.<br /><br />For a couple of years we have seen public and council attacks on farmers and I believe it is simply a case of misunderstanding. Both parties need better understandings of the issues for forward progress to occur. Portraying a simple understanding of N leaching risks inflaming the situation in my opinion. <br /><br />Mr E.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-8515167026881109242013-05-21T20:44:39.479+12:002013-05-21T20:44:39.479+12:00Hi David & thanks for the comment.
The figures...Hi David & thanks for the comment.<br />The figures above are from a 2004 report, I will post the link shortly.<br />I suppose "cropping" is a broad term too. Jan wrights 2010 presentation shows hort as having the greatest per ha rate of leaching, but hort makes up a very small area compared to other agriculture. <br /><br />Cropping farmers apply N evenly over the paddock, so they don't have the urine patch issues. It would make sense that a farmer would not apply more fert than the crop/soil can utilize. As that is just a waste of money.<br /><br />I know FAR are doing a lot of work on leaching and it certainly sounds like you have the data available to you. I'll google Amaize software.<br /><br />If anybody has some links to some data regarding N leaching and cropping, I'd love to see it.<br /><br />Cheers<br />GlenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413783435112851071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061209502480568903.post-76184778829317450782013-05-21T15:40:57.178+12:002013-05-21T15:40:57.178+12:00Hi Glen,
basically a useful Post, but some of your...Hi Glen,<br />basically a useful Post, but some of your info on cropping and vege growers is a bit old perhaps you should check with FAR and HortNZ. Most arable farmers who have some grass and clover in their rotations and monitor N use, with crop software tools will probably only leach the average for a sheep farm. We grow maize and deep N test prior to drilling and then only apply enough N to optimise grain yield. Amaize N software tells us the leaching is negligible.<br />Cheers<br />David Lee-JonesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com