@article{Laws:6962,
      recid = {6962},
      author = {Laws, J.A. and Williams, Robert J. and Pain, B.F.},
      title = {A Comparison of Grassland Management Systems for Beef  Cattle Using Self-Contained Farmlets: Effects of  Contrasting Nitrogen Inputs and Management Strategies on  the Farm Economy},
      address = {2002},
      number = {1026-2016-82040},
      series = {Conference Papers},
      pages = {24},
      year = {2002},
      abstract = {The financial implications of manipulating nitrogen (N)  inputs and management
strategies for beef production  systems were assessed. One-hectare grassland farmlets  were
grazed to a target sward height by beef steers;  herbage surplus to grazing requirements was cut for silage.  Three systems were compared: ‘CN’, conventional mineral N  application to a grass monoculture and broadcast slurry;  ‘TN’, tactical mineral N application at fortnightly  intervals to a grass monoculture with slurry injection and  the early housing of cattle; ‘GC’, a
mixed grass/white  clover sward with no mineral N addition and slurry  injection. Comparisons were made on two contrasting soil  types: a freely-draining sandy loam (site 1) and a poorly  drained clay (site 2). Financial budgets for 1999-2000 show  that estimated gross profit margins (gross outputs minus  variable costs), after deducting contractor’s charges for  sward preparation and fertiliser spreading, were highest  for treatment CN at both sites Î(€1552, €1356 and €1461  ha-1 for site 1 and €1562, €1281 and €1287 ha-1 for site 2,  for treatments CN, TN and GC, respectively). Treatment TN  was penalised by increased costs associated
with an  extended housed period and the need to purchase additional  silage for winter feeding which cost €242 ha-1 at site 1  and €250 ha-1 at site 2. Savings in N fertiliser for TN in  comparison with CN (€44 ha-1 at site 1 and €39 ha-1 at site  2) were more than offset by the increased costs of  fortnightly fertiliser applications (€54 ha-1 at site 1 and  €46 ha-1 at site 2).
Treatment GC benefited from zero costs  for the purchase and spreading of mineral N
fertiliser but  was penalised by increased variation in forage DM  production which resulted in a shortfall in winter fodder  requirements with a replacement cost of €250 at site 1 and  €435 at site 2. The best overall economic performance after  the allocation of all possible relevant
costs (variable,  fixed and capital) in terms of the relative net profit  margin, was for GC at site 1 and for CN at site 2 (-€1358,  -€2399 and -€1304 ha-1 at site 1 and -€1122, -€2810 and -  €1380 ha-1 at site 2, for CN, TN and GC, respectively). The  opportunity costs of reducing N surpluses at the gross  profit margin level (after contractor’s charges) for  treatments TN and GC over treatment CN were calculated at  €2.29 kg-1 N surplus for TN and €0.67 kg-1 N surplus for GC  at site 1, with corresponding values of €4.91 and €1.57 at  site 2.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/6962},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.6962},
}