Influence of level of self-sufficiency on the nutrient budgets of an organic dairy farm (OF0180)

This is the final report of Defra project OF0180 In 1998, the organic dairy herd at Ty Gwyn, Trawsgoed was split into two herds to examine the physical and financial implications of adopting different feeding strategies and levels of feed self-sufficiency (DEFRA Project OF0146). A self-sufficient system (SS) in which cows were fed a high forage diet supplemented with home-grown cereals was compared with a system in which concentrate feeds were purchased from outside the farm (PC). The present study determined nutrient budgets for the two systems and used models to estimate the various forms of N loss. These studies were supported by field studies to provide additional information about areas of uncertainty identified in previous budget calculations. Specific objectives were: 1. To determine whole-farm budgets and internal flows of N, P and K for the SS and PC organic dairy systems at Ty Gwyn. 2. To measure the effect of slurry applications on N fixation in grass/clover fields at Ty Gwyn and effects on the uptake of P, K and Mg. 3. To measure possible changes in the P and K content of soils in the SS and PC systems at Ty Gwyn and evaluate recommended laboratory tests as indicators of P and K deficiencies in these soils. The attached main report starts with a detailed Executive Summary

VLT/NACO adaptive optics imaging of the TY CrA system - A fourth stellar component candidate detected

We report the detection of a possible subsolar mass companion to the triple young system TY CrA using the NACO instrument at the VLT UT4 during its commissioning. Assuming for TY CrA a distance similar to that of the close binary system HD 176386, the photometric spectral type of this fourth stellar component candidate is consistent with an ~M4 star. We discuss the dynamical stability of this possible quadruple system as well as the possible location of dusty particles inside or outside the system.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures postscrip

Comparison of the physical and financial performance of organic dairy farming systems (OF0146)

This is the final report from Defra project OF0146 Two different systems of organic milk production were studied during the 1998-2002 period. The systems were established at the IGER Ty Gwyn organic dairy farm during the 1998/99 period. The systems were based either on achieving self-sufficiency in both home-grown forage and concentrate feeds or on the production of home-grown forage and the purchase of concentrate feeds. The data collected included recording the changes in the soil indices, level of crop production, crop quality, level of milk production, milk quality, animal health and herd reproductive performance of the two systems. The main attached report starts with a detailed executive summary. In the modelling work fifty-four different strategies for organic dairy production were evaluated. Performance data from three commercial organic dairy farms with different climatic conditions (Devon, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire) and cropping strategies (arable with all home-grown feed, home-grown forage only, home-grown forage + purchased concentrates) and also data from the two Ty Gwyn systems was inputted into three models (SAC Dairy Systems, SAC FeedByte, IRS OrgPlan) to evaluate the potential performance from different organic systems. The results produced a range of different options and rankings in relation to their potential financial performance and use of resources. The results from the data modelling predicted the best financial performance and utilisation of resources would be achieved by the establishment of an arable system on the Pembrokeshire farm. The lowest financial performance was predicted to be from the establishment of purchased concentrate systems on the Shropshire and Pembrokeshire farms, with the poorest utilisation of resource use indicators from both the establishment of a forage-only system on the Shropshire farm and purchased feed systems on both the Shropshire and Pembrokeshire farms. In relation to financial indicators the modelling work showed little difference between the two Ty Gwyn systems. The financial performance of Ty Gwyn was compared with ten commercial organic dairy farms, monitored during the 1998-2002 period. Of the ten commercial farms, four had been organic for a number of years, three were recently converted and three were in conversion. The net farm income of the Ty Gwyn SS system increased from 1998/99 to 1999/00 to a peak of £25,453 but then declined sharply following a fall in the price paid for organic milk to a loss of -£14,269 in 2001/02. In the Ty Gwyn PC system the net farm income increased to £24,122 in 2000/01 but then fell sharply to a loss of -£4,825 in 2001/02. The peak net farm incomes on the commercial farms were recorded in the 1999/00 period, with either a small loss (<-£50/ha) recorded on the well established farms or a small profit (<£50/ha) on the recently converted farms in 2001/02

Psychoanalytic theory and textual interpretation

No abstract available