Mass Nutrient Balance Case Studies

Opportunities for changing the farm mass nutrient balance exist throughout the entire dairy farm system. Guide your cursor over the “question marks” in the whole farm diagram, below, to explore some of those opportunities.

Ongoing work on several NY farms indicates that 60-80% of the N imported through feed, fertilizer, biological N fixation, etc. does not leave the farm through the sale of products (meat, milk, animals, crops). For a more in-depth look into dairy farm mass nutrient balances and the management changes that can impact them, consider the case studies, below.

Implementation of Nutrient Management Planning on a Dairy Farm.

• By T.P. Tylutki, D.G. Fox, and M. McMahon. 2004. The Professional Animal Scientist 20:58–65.

Phosphorus Reduction Through Precision Feeding of Dairy Cattle.

• By P.E. Cerosaletti, D.G. Fox, and L.E. Chase. 2004. J. Dairy Sci. 87:2314-2323.

Whole herd optimization with the Cornell net carbohydrate and protein system. III. Application of an optimization model to evaluate alternatives to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus mass balance.

• By S.J. Wang, D.G. Fox, D.J.R. Cherney, L.E. Chase, and L.O. Tedeschi. 2000. J. of Dairy Sci. 83:2160-2169

Impact of dairy farming on well water nitrate level and soil content of phosphorus and potassium.

• By S.J. Wang, D.G. Fox, D.J.R. Cherney, S.D. Klausner, and D.R. Bouldin. 1999. J Dairy Sci. 82:2164-2169.

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

• By S.D. Klausner, D.G Fox, C.N. Rasmussen, R.E. Pitt, T.P. Tylutki, P.E. Wright, L.E. Chase, and W.C. Stone. 1998. Journal of Production Agriculture 11:225-233.

A Sensitivity Analysis of Nitrogen Losses from Dairy Farms

• By R. A. Kohn, Z. Dou, J. D. Ferguson and R. C. Boston. 1997. Journal of Environmental Management (1997) 50, 417–428.