Arbeitszeitbedarf in der Kleinwiederkäuerhaltung

Obwohl die Haltung von Kleinwiederkäuern in den letzten Jahren immer mehr an Bedeutung gewonnen hat, gibt es bisher, insbesondere im Bereich der Milchgewinnung, nur wenige arbeitswirtschaftliche Kennzahlen für die Haltung von Schafen und Ziegen und deren Aufzucht. Insbesondere Schafmilch ist schon seit einiger Zeit als wichtige Alternative zu Kuhmilch bekannt. Es ist daher wichtig im Bereich der Kleinwiederkäuer Verfahrensdaten und arbeitswirtschaftliche Kennzahlen zur Verfügung stellen zu können. Das Ziel der vorgesehenen Untersuchung liegt in der Erfassung, Aufbereitung, Auswertung und Bereitstellung von arbeitswirtschaftlichen Kennzahlen sowie der Beschreibung zeitgemässer Produktionsverfahren im Bereich der Kleinwiederkäuerhaltung. Dabei werden Verfahren der Milchschaf- und Milchziegenhaltung im ökologischen Landbau berücksichtigt. Die sich zweimal täglich wiederholende Melkarbeit erklärt den hohen Anteil am Gesamtarbeitszeitbedarf. Einsparungspotenzial ist durch verfahrenstechnische Hilfsmittel (Melkstand, gerader Zutrieb) und gute Arbeitsorganisation (kurze Wege) gegeben. Der hohe Anteil an Fütterungsarbeiten kann durch konsequente Weidehaltung mit gut durchdachtem Weidemanagement ebenfalls reduziert werden. Mit der vorliegenden Projektarbeit im Auftrag des KTBL liegen für die Praxis und die Beratung abgesicherte Planungsgrundlagen für die Milchschaf- und -ziegenhaltung bei verschiedenen Bestandesgrössen zwischen 10 und 600 Tieren vor

Arbeitszeitbedarf für die Betreuung von Biogasanlagen

The working time requirement for different methods of biogas production forms the basis for a full cost calculation as well as for the planning of working capacities in biogas plant management. The aim of this study is to quantify the time requirement under different conditions. An ergonomic analysis was carried out for ten biogas model plants which differed in terms of gas utilisation and installed capacity as well as of substrate usage (energy feedstock and mass) and plant size. The results of the model calculations yielded a total working time requirement of between 679 and 2,140 MPh/year for the ten model plants from an electrical output of 75 kW to a gas supply of 700 m3 under normal conditions. The time required for feeding a plant increases in proportion to the mass and the number of different stackable substrates, low substrate bulk density also increases the time requirement. Daily tours of inspection include process monitoring, silo and fermenter sampling. The required time depends on the distances covered, which increase with plant size. Maintenance work also increases with plant size. Feeding and plant management jobs account for the largest share of total working time requirement

Determinants of the perceived administrative transaction costs caused by the uptake of an agri-environmental program

Farmers’ subjectively perceived that administrative transaction costs are of high importance for the uptake of agri-environmental programs with direct effects on the effectiveness and efficiency of these programs and the well-being of farmers. This paper empirically estimates private administrative transaction costs resulting from an uptake of the newly introduced grassland-based milk and meat program in Switzerland, based on farmers’ perceived administrative workload. Using ordered logit models, we analyze how the administrative tasks and farm and farmer characteristics influence the perceived administrative workload. We find that the time spent on monitoring or inspection tasks has no effect. In contrast, an outsourcing of program-related administrative tasks significantly reduces the perceived administrative workload. We also find that a better understanding of agricultural policy regulations significantly reduces the farmers’ perceived administrative workload. We recommend that public administration improve the communication of agricultural policy regulations, rather than investing in the simplification of administrative forms

Arbeitszeitbedarf in der ökologischen Legehennenhaltung

Der Arbeitszeitbedarf für Legehennen in Bodenhaltung unterscheidet sich kaum von dem in der Volierenhaltung: Gesamtarbeitszeitbedarf und Verteilung auf die einzelnen Arbeitsgänge sind annähernd gleich. Der größte Arbeitszeitbedarf liegt mit einem Anteil von 53 % bei der Produktgewinnung. Die Betriebsführung macht einen Anteil von 17% am Gesamtarbeitszeitbedarf aus. Bei beiden Arbeiten handelt es sich um tägliche, meist mit hohem manuellem Aufwand verbundene Tätigkeiten. Produktgewinnung, Betriebsführung, Fütterung und Auslaufbewirtschaftung summieren sich auf 92 % des Arbeitszeitbedarfs. Einfluss auf den Arbeitszeitbedarf haben vor allem die Bestandsgröße und der Anteil an manuellen Tätigkeiten

Working time requirement for different field irrigation methods

Prolonged dry periods are occurring with increasing frequency during the growing season due to climate change. Irrigation is, therefore, becoming more important for the improved exploitation of crop yield potential. The choice of a suitable irrigation system depends on various factors such as the crop to be irrigated, availability of water, soil condition, and topography, availability of technical and financial resources, as well as technical know-how, and manpower availability. Three widespread irrigation methods of mobile, fixed and micro irrigation have been analysed in the geographical areas of Germany and Switzerland concerning their working time requirement for transport, assembly, operation, and dismantling. The working hours and the influencing variables were statistically analysed and integrated in a model calculation system. The results showed the working time requirement for the selected irrigation methods under modelled conditions. Regarding the required manpower, for a 1 ha plot, hose reel irrigators required 1.8 h, pipe sprinklers 9.5 h and drip irrigation systems 12.3 h total working time

Empirical evidence on factors influencing farmers' administrative burden: A structural equation modeling approach.

Direct payments represent a large share of Swiss farmers' total household income but compliance with related requirements often entails a high administrative burden. This causes individuals to experience policy implementation as onerous. Based on a framework for administrative burden in citizen-state interactions, we test whether farmers' individual knowledge, psychological costs and compliance costs help to explain their perception of administrative burden related to direct payments. We refine this framework by testing different specifications of interrelations between psychological costs and perceived administrative burden based on findings from policy feedback theory and education research. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is applied to data collected from a representative sample of 808 Swiss farmers by postal questionnaire in 2019. We find that compliance costs and psychological costs contribute significantly to the perceived administrative burden. In contrast, farmers' knowledge level contributes to this perception not directly but indirectly, with higher knowledge reducing psychological costs. Our results support policy feedback theory, in that a high level of administrative burden increases psychological costs. Furthermore, well-educated and well-informed farmers show a more positive attitude toward agricultural policy and thus perceive administrative tasks as less onerous. Policy-makers should invest in the reduction of administrative requirements to reduce compliance costs

Status quo of adoption of precision agriculture enabling technologies in Swiss plant production

This paper presents the state of application of Precision Agricultural enabling Technology (PAT) in Swiss farms as an example for small-scale, highly mechanised Central European agriculture. Furthermore, correlations between farm and farmers’ characteristics and technology adoption were evaluated. Being part of a comprehensive and representative study assessing the state of mechanisation and automation in Swiss agriculture, this paper focuses on the adoption of Driver Assistance Systems (DAS) and activities in which Electronic Measuring Systems (EMS) are used. The adoption rate of DAS was markedly higher compared to EMS in all agricultural enterprises. The adoption rate was highest for high-value enterprise vegetables and surprisingly low for the high-value enterprise grapes. The results of a binary logistic regression showed that farmers located in the mountain zone were less likely to adopt PAT compared to farmers in the valley. Small farm size correlated with low adoption rates and vice versa showing adoption happens country-specific in the upper farm size distribution. The results show the potential for novel technologies to be adopted by farmers of high-value products. Furthermore, technologies have been partially used to reduce physical workload but not yet to evaluate crop or management performance to support decisions. However, automatic collection and forwarding of data is a fundamental step towards Smart Farming realizing its full potential in the future.ISSN:1385-2256ISSN:1573-161