Due to the outgoing transitional arrangements for the use of conventional protein sources for monogastric animals in organic livestock farming, alternatives are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of the leaf mass of clover-like legumes in the diet of pigs. Therefore the yields of digestible protein per hectare of the investigated plant samples are compared to that of faba beans, lupines and peas as established organic protein sources. The yields of digestible crude protein per hectare of the clover-like legumes are higher than that of faba beans and peas. Although the faba beans and peas have some higher crude protein digestibility of about 80%, the examined plant samples are due to the higher content of protein in the leaf mass rich in digestible crude protein. The results indicate that the recovery of the leaf mass is a potential protein resource for organic pig farming

Sommer, Hendrik

Sundrum, Albert

Organic Eprints

RAHMANN G & AKSOY U (Eds.) (2014) Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. ‘Building Organic Bridges’, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13-15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 24023)   489 Leaf mass of clover-like legumes as a protein source in organic pig nutrition  HENDRIK SOMMER1, ALBERT SUNDRUM1 Key words: protein supply, digestible crude protein, organic pig nutrition, clover, alfalfa Abstract Due to the outgoing transitional arrangements for the use of conventional protein sources for monogastric animals in organic livestock farming, alternatives are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of the leaf mass of clover-like legumes in the diet of pigs. Therefore the yields of digestible protein per hectare of the investigated plant samples were compared to those of faba beans, lupines and peas as established organic protein sources. The yields of digestible crude protein per hectare of the clover-like legumes are higher than those of faba beans and peas. Although the faba beans and peas have some higher crude protein digestibility of about 80%, the examined plant samples are due to the higher content of protein in the leaf mass rich in digestible crude protein. The results indicate that the recovery of the leaf mass is a lucrative protein source for organic pig farming.  Introduction The availability of organically and regionally produced protein is becoming more and more important due to the expiring transitional arrangements for the use of conventional protein sources. The well-balanced dietary supply of organic held pigs especially with essential amino acids is restricted to the use of grain legumes and in individual cases of press cake derived from processing oilseeds (Baumgärtl et al. 2013).  The current research project is designed to investigate the question under which conditions native clover-like legumes can contribute to cover the need of protein in the diet of organically fed pigs. It is mentioned that the separation of the leaf mass of alfalfa (Popovics et al. 2001) and other clover species selected from the stem will increase the concentration of crude protein content. Therefore the quality and quantity of digestible protein of the investigated leaf mass samples are compared to that of faba beans and peas as established organic protein sources.  Material and methods  Seeds of alfalfa, red clover, white clover, crimson clover and Persian clover have been harvested from 4 experimental field trials. The results are based on the harvest in 2012.The harvested fresh masses of the samples were weighed and charged with the area size of the trial plots. The fresh mass yield per hectare was determined in this way. Afterwards it was multiplied by the dry matter content of each sample to determine the dry matter yields. The fresh weight samples were packed in crispin bags and then dried at 60°C to constant weight. Each variety had a total of up to eight sample bags which were weighed and dried. Two samples were milled as whole plant. The remaining six samples were each separated in leaf and stem mass. The Penn State Forage Separator was used with two different sieve hole sizes (upper sieve 1.9 cm, middle sieve 0.75 cm). The crumbled sample was placed into the top sieve of the assembled screen box. On a smooth surface the screen box was shaken five times, then it was rotated by 90° and shaken again. The process was repeated until the box was once rotated 360°. Stem mass remained in the upper screen box. In the middle screen frame a mixture of stems and leaf mass accumulated and in the bottom box the leaf mass was sift out. For a second passage the procedure was repeated, omitting the upper screen frame. At the end of the procedure the separated stem mass as well as the leaf mass remaining in the bottom was weighed. Than the stem and leaf mass fractions were calculated. The dry matter yields were subsequently charged with the leaf fractions for determination of leaf production yield. In the next step, the whole plant and leaf mass nutrient yields for crude protein were calculated from the respective dry matter yields in conjunction with the dry mass-based nutrient concentrations. The digestibility of the leaf mass was determined with the in vitro method according to Boisen and Fernández (1997), modified according to Sappok et al. (2009). After the enzyme treatment, the remaining feed residue is weighed and subtracted from the originally weighed material quantity. The difference is called the apparent digestibility of organic mass. In the remaining feed rest the crude protein content is determined and subtracted from the crude protein content in the feed sample. This difference characterizes the apparent                                                  1 Department of Animal Nutrition and Animal Health, University of  Kassel, Nordbahnhofstraße 1a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Deutschland, hendriksommer@uni-kassel.de, uni-kassel.de/cms/tiereg  SOMMER, H., SUNDRUM, A. Leaf mass of clover-like legumes as a protein source in organic pig nutrition    490 digestibility of crude protein. The data for faba beans and peas have been reviewed by literature and the corresponding yields were calculated the same way. Results The proportion of leaf mass of the whole plant depends on the seed and cut number. For crimson and Persian clover a decreasing trend in leaf mass fractions from the first to third cut can be determined. In alfalfa and white clover the leaf mass fraction increased from the first to the second cut. For red clover the leaf mass fraction from the second cut was higher than at the first and third cut, however, were the only outlier here to watch. Figure 1 gives an overview of the leaf mass fractions of the species examined, differentiated by the cuts.   Figure 1: Proportion of the leaf mass on the whole plant differentiated into three cuts. The digestibility of crude protein in whole plant (WP) and leaf mass (LF) differed only to a small extent. In Persian clover (79% LM - 74% WP), in alfalfa (74% LF - 70% WP) and in red clover (75% LM - 73% WP), the mean solubility was higher in the leaf mass than in the whole plant. While the solubility of crude protein in the leaf mass and the whole plant in white clover is identical (77%), in the whole plant of crimson clover (75%) it was at least 2 percent higher compared to the leaf mass solubility. However, the corresponding variability of the results relativizes these estimates.  The lowest cumulative dry matter yields of leaf mass were recorded in Persian clover and crimson clover. Here, the average dry matter yield was 35 dt ha-1 and 42 dt ha-1, and is quite competitive to faba beans. The average dry matter yield of white clover was 48 dt ha-1. The highest yields were observed on alfalfa and red clover with about 60 dt ha-1. Due to the distribution of the yield to several cuts the yield risk is significantly reduced. The average yield of Peas was reported from Ehlers (2001) between 31.0 -34.0 dt ha-1, Pietsch at al. (2003) between 14.4 – 20.8 dt ha-1 and Pietsch et al. (2004) between 11.0 – 19.00 dt ha-1.  By separating the leaf mass, a concentration of crude protein in the leaf mass was found in all studied species. The highest mean leaf crude protein mass was observed in Persian clover with 28.3 g XP 100 g DM-1, followed by alfalfa with 28.0 g XP 100 g DM-1. The analyzed content of red clover was 27.0 g XP 100 g DM-1, of white clover 26.3 g XP 100 g DM-1 and of crimson clover 25.4 g XP 100 g DM-1. The crude protein RAHMANN G & AKSOY U (Eds.) (2014) Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. ‘Building Organic Bridges’, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13-15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 24023)   491 content of faba bean was assumed with 25 g XP 100 g DM-1 (23.1 – 26.0 g XP 100 g DM-1, Sauermann et al. (2013 a) and that of pea with 20 g XP 100 g DM-1 (19.6 – 22.8 g XP 100 g DM-1 Sauermann et al. (2013 b)).  The cultivation of clover-like legume for the production of leaf mass leads to higher leaf mass crude yields compared to faba beans and peas (see Table 1). The cultivation of faba beans leads to a crude protein yield of 8-10 dt ha-1, depending on location and weather influence. The cultivation of Peas leads to lower crude protein yields in the range of 2.2 to 7.8 dt ha-1. The crude protein yield of leaf masses of crimson clover and Persian clover are of the same order of magnitude as is the case in the field bean.  Table 1: Crude protein yield (dt ha-1) of the leaf mass of the studied species differentiated into cuts and accumulated compared to the range of faba bean and pea.  ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂n n n n n1.8 2.7 1.1 1.2 2.03.8 9.5 40 0.0 10.9 48 3.0 6.9 24 2.1 6.3 40 2.5 11.9 420.9 0.8 0.4 0.8 0.64.6 8.1 12 4.1 7.2 28 3.2 4.7 18 1.8 4.0 12 2.2 4.3 240.8 1.2 1.4 0.9 1.24.6 7.2 18 1.9 6.0 36 2.1 7.4 40 0.7 2.9 18 1.5 5.2 2413.0 24.8 6.0 24.1 8.3 19.0 4.6 13.2 6.1 21.4 8 10 2.2 7.8Faba9Pea4.2dt ha -1 dt ha -111.81. Cut2. Cut3. Cut∑ 17.0 15.2 12.6 8.53.02.66.24.8Persian cloverdt ha -1min-max min-max min-max4.03.8Crimson cloverdt ha -1min-max3.92.52.0White cloverdt ha -1min-max5.5Alfalfa Red cloverdt ha -1min-max5.85.44.0min-maxdt ha -15.65.9  The yields of digestible crude protein are also higher than that of faba bean and pea in the clover-like legumes (see Table 2). Although the faba bean and pea have some higher solubility of about 80%, the examined plant samples are due to the higher content of protein in the leaf mass rich in digestible crude protein.  Table 2: Digestible crude protein yield (Mean, dt ha-1) of the leaf mass of the studied species differentiated into cuts and accumulated compared to the range of faba bean and pea.  Alfalfa Red clover White clover Crimson clover Persian clover Faba Peadt ha -1 dt ha -1 dt ha -1 dt ha -1 dt ha -1 dt ha -2 dt ha -3   6.8 3.12.112.6 11.4 9.7 6.2 9.32.44.1 3.0 2.9 1.52.8 4.94.4 4.1 3.1 1.84.4 3.7   3. Cut∑4.1 1. Cut2. Cut Discussion The main problem in the cultivation of legumes is the large variation of the feed value and yield. Factors of the type, location and methods of cultivation are the main sources of variance. The higher the qualities of usable protein sources, the better are they suited to be part of the feed ration. So far, the use of clover-like SOMMER, H., SUNDRUM, A. Leaf mass of clover-like legumes as a protein source in organic pig nutrition    492 (green) legumes in monogastric rations is of minor importance. The suitability of appropriate feed for pigs is mainly limited by the fiber content and the associated reduction in the digestibility of the organic mass (Schubiger et al., 1998). The leaf protein yield obtained here is considerably higher than the yield of protein from beans or peas (Sommer 2010). The results indicate that the recovery of the leaf mass is a valuable and expandable protein resource for organic pig nutrition because of increasing the concentration of crude protein. It provides a considerable potential as a regional source of protein and requires further examination. Acknowledgements A special thanks to the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) for funding the project and the LFL Bavaria, Department of Crop Production and for the experimental station Steinach for the transfer of the sample material. References  Baumgärtl, T., Wölfel, S., Guddat, C., Degner, J., Gräfe, E. Müller, J., Dunkel, S., Heinze, A., Peyker, W. und T. Graf (2013): Potenzialstudie zur Erhöhung des Anteils einheimischer Eiweißpflanzen und anderer heimischer Eiweißquellen in der Tierfütterung in Thüringen. Hrsg. Thüringer Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Jena Boisen, S. and J.A. Fernández (1997): Prediction of the total tract digestibility of energy in feedstuffs and pig diets by in vitro analyses. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 68:277-286. Ehlers, Barbara (2001) Einfluß der Sorte und Bestandesdichte auf Ertrag und Unkrautbesatz bei Futtererbsen. [Influence of variety and plant density of peas on yield and weed growth.] In: Reents, Hans Jürgen (Hrsg.) Von Leit-Bildern zu Leit-Linien: Beiträge zur 6. Wissenschaftstagung zum Ökologischen Landbau, Freising, Verlag Dr. Köster, Berlin. Pietsch, G.; Gabler, C.; Wagentristl, H. und Freyer, B. (2004) Ertragsentwicklung von Erbsen sowie Sommergerste in Reinsaat und in Mischung mit Leindotter oder Koriander im Ökologischen Landbau. Mitt. Ges. Pflanzenbauwiss. (16), S. 147-148. Pietsch, Gabriele; Surböck, Andreas; Friedel, Jürgen K.; Wagentristl, Helmut und Freyer, Bernhard (2003) Sortenvergleich von Körner- und Futtererbsen in Reinsaat und Gemenge. [Comparison of cultivars of grain and field peas in pure stands and mixtures.] In: Freyer, Bernard (Hrsg.) Beiträge zur 7. Wissenschaftstagung zum Ökologischen Landbau "Ökologischer Landbau der Zukunft", Institut für Ökologischen Landbau, Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, S. 493-494. Popovic, S., M. Stjepanovic, S. Grljusic, T. Cupic und M. Tucak (2001): Protein and fibre contents in alfalfa leaves and stems. In Delgado I. (ed.), Lloveras, J. (ed.). Quality in lucerne and medics for animal production = Qualité de la luzerne et des medics pour la production animale. Zaragoza (Spain) : CIHEAM-IAMZ, 2001. p. 215-218. Sappok, M., W. Pelikaan, M. Verstegen und A. Sundrum (2009): Assessing fibre-rich feedstuffs in pig nutrition – comparison of methods and their implications. J. of the Science of Food and Agriculture 89:2541-2550. Sauermann, W. (2013 a): Rohproteingehalte von Ackerbohnen – Unterschiede bei den Sorten. Bauernblatt, 23. Februar 2013, S. 38-39. Sauermann, W. (2013 b): Hohe Rohproteingehalte erreicht – Futterwert von Futtererbsen nutzen. Bauernblatt, 9. März 2013, S. 36. Schubiger, F. X., H.-R. Bosshard und J. Lehmann (1998): Futterwert von Rotklee. Agrarforschung 5 (4): 181-184. Sommer, H. (2010): Untersuchungen zur Steigerung der Produktionsintensität  im ökologischen Landbau am Beispiel des Lehr- und Versuchsbetriebes Gladbacherhof. Dissertation, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen. Verlag Dr. Köster, Berlin.  

Leaf mass of clover-like legumes as a protein source in organic pig nutrition

Animal health status in organic dairy farming does not in all respect meet consumers’ expectations. Improvements are crucial to support consumers’ confidence and their willingness to pay premium prices. Considering animal health as an emergent property of the whole farm system the presented project aims to increase the implementation of evidence based measures and to improve practice of health management. This will be achieved by a multidisciplinary and participatory approach to develop farm specific solutions regarding preventive measures and appropriate treatment strategies

Hoischen-Taubner, Susanne

RAHMANN G & AKSOY U (Eds.) (2014) Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. ‘Building Organic Bridges’, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13-15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 23966)   467 Bridging the gap - Impact matrix analysis and cost-benefit calculations to improve management practices regarding health status in organic dairy farming ALBERT SUNDRUM1, SUSANNE HOISCHEN-TAUBNER1 Key words: systemic approach, impact matrix, production diseases, farm level, complexity, animal health Abstract Animal health status in organic dairy farming does not in all respect meet consumers’ expectations. Improvements are crucial to support consumers’ confidence and their willingness to pay premium prices. Considering animal health as an emergent property of the whole farm system the presented project aims to increase the implementation of evidence based measures and to improve practice of health management. This will be achieved by a multidisciplinary and participatory approach to develop farm specific solutions regarding preventive measures and appropriate treatment strategies.  Introduction Animal health status in organic farming, in general, does not differ from conventional production and as such does not meet the expectations of consumers with respect to healthy animals as a precondition of healthy food (Sundrum 2012; Cicconi-Hogan et al. 2013). Improvements are crucial to support consumers’ confidence and their willingness to pay premium prices. These are urgently needed to cover the higher production costs in organic farming and thus ensure a viable European organic dairy production. Previous herd health planning has contributed to improving farm management and has prepared the ground for further advancements. However, recommended measures have often been implemented only to a low and unsatisfactory degree, differing widely between farms. In general, production diseases are of complex aetiology. Within a farm situation health related factors are interconnected and influence each other. Accordingly, the animal health status of a farm is an emergent property of the whole farm system and cannot be explained sufficiently by single factors. The aim of the IMPRO project (www.impro-dairy.eu) is to substantially overcome the weak points in current health management strategies on organic dairy farms and increase the possibilities for proactive herd health management. This will be achieved by a multidisciplinary and participatory approach to develop farm specific solutions regarding preventive measures and early treatment strategies.  The four years of research (2012 to 2016) will be carried out as different work packages.  Material and methods  Beside the workpackages (WP) for project management and dissemination the research topics of the IMPRO project are as follows: WP2: On-farm assessment of effective measures by an impact matrix  A farm-centric approach, making use of a participatory process and an impact matrix, will be used to identify the measures that are likely to be the most effective to improve animal health status. This will be performed on a selection of 200 farms in four European countries. Regional workshops have been organised within a multidisciplinary framework, involving farmers’ organisations, farm advisory services, veterinarians, and scientists of different disciplines to identify appropriate variables in relation to animal health on the farm level to be used in the impact matrix.  WP3: Improving monitoring and prevention on the herd level   A monitoring and adaptive prevention approach will be evaluated in 40 farms in two countries, after prior evaluation of farm specific constraints, options for management, initial health status and variables of interest in WP2. This will enable to determine the added-value of the monitoring and prevention protocols per se. Data necessary for cost-benefit analysis of the proposed protocols will be collected for WP5.                                                  1 Department of Animal Nutrition and Animal Health, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Science, University of Kassel, Germany, www.uni-kassel.de/agrar/tiereg, sundrum@uni-kassel.de SUNDRUM A, HOISCHEN-TAUBNER S Bridging the gap - Impact matrix analysis and cost-benefit calculations to improve management practices …   468 WP4: Manageability of alternative treatments   Protocols or decision trees for prescribing and using homeopathic remedies will be developed on the basis of the best available scientific evidence. They will then be tested on a sample of farms and compared with the outcomes of more conventional protocols on a separate sample, in the specific case of mastitis. WP5: Socio-economic implications of changes in the management   Considering the limited availability of resources on a farm, farmers allocate resources to the risk sources which are considered to be of the highest importance. Farmers need decision support to indicate those measures that will give them the highest economic net return within the farm’s constraints. Based on the recommendations derived from the impact matrix and the insights on alternative measures a cost-benefit calculation models will be developed, which makes it possible to evaluate required resources and expected benefits of recommended measures and thereby optimises the allocation of available resources. Furthermore, in WP5 the perceived importance of animal health problems will be evaluated in relation to other sources of production risks. WP6: Development of a software-based decision support tool   Solutions, elaborated in different work packages, will be integrated into a coherent and easily manageable software tool to support the diagnostic procedure on the farm level with respect to multi-factorial syndromes, and to identify the most appropriate measures to improve animal health. The integration of economic analysis into the herd management software and the inclusion of a participatory consulting approach by an impact matrix represent a challenge that will lead to an innovative product to disseminate the relevant results of the project. Results and conclusions The approach in the IMPRO project integrates information and knowledge gained from different sources into a coherent concept, striving for a high level of fitting accuracy at different scales to the specific health problems and farm specific conditions and constraints. The objective is to achieve a high level of fitting accuracy at different scales following the key-lock-principle. The IMPRO project will combine a number of methodological approaches for characterising the health status profile of dairy farms. It will identify and validate related variables and specific risk factors in order to assess and implement appropriate measures to achieve an improved health status. Additionally, new farming techniques associated with preventive and proactive measures will be tested in well-defined organic farming systems.  Acknowledgement The IMPRO project receives funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°311824. References  Cicconi-Hogan KM, Gamroth M, Richert R, Ruegg PL, Stiglbauer KE, Schukken YH (2013) Associations of risk factors with somatic cell count in bulk tank milk on organic and conventional dairy farms in the United States. J Dairy Sci 96:3689–3702. Sundrum A (2012) “Healthy Food” from Healthy Cows. In: Konvalina P (ed) Organic Farming and Food Production. InTech Book, pp 95–120, www.intechopen.com/books/organic-farming-and-food-production/-healthy-food-from-healthy-cows. 

BRIDGING THE GAP - IMPACT MATRIX ANALYSIS AND COST-BENEFIT CALCULATIONS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES REGARDING HEALTH STATUS IN ORGANIC DAIRY FARMING

Organic farming has become increasingly important in Germany in recent years. This is reflected in the positive trend shown by the total number of organic farms. Analyses which are based on official agricultural statistics show, however, that there is an underlying counter-trend of farms that leave the organic sector by reverting back to conventional methods. Between 2007 and 2010 1,258 German organic farms returned to conventional agriculture. This paper aims to offer an overview, how many and what types of farms actually abandon organic farming in Germany. Probit-estimations are used to identify first indications for determinants of reversion from organic to conventional agriculture

Heinze, Sanna

Vogel, Alexander

RAHMANN G & AKSOY U (Eds.) (2014) Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. ‘Building Organic Bridges’, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13-15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 23499)   347 Reversion from organic to conventional agriculture in Germany SANNA HEINZE1, ALEXANDER VOGEL2 Key words: Abandonment, Germany, organic agriculture, reversion  Abstract Organic farming has become increasingly important in Germany in recent years. This is reflected in the positive trend shown by the total number of organic farms. Analyses which are based on official agricultural statistics show, however, that there is an underlying counter-trend of farms that leave the organic sector by reverting back to conventional methods. Between 2007 and 2010 1,258 German organic farms returned to conventional agriculture. Introduction  The number of organic farms in Germany nearly doubled within the last decade. What is not shown by official statistics is the dynamic hidden behind this pure net increase. In practice an underlying counter-trend can be recognized: farms leave the organic sector and turn back to conventional methods. But literature shows only few studies concerning the abandonment of organic farming (e.g., Schneeberger et al. 2002, Sauer and Park 2009, Läpple 2010). Heinze and Vogel (2012) examined reversion behavior of German organic farms between 2007 and 2010. Latest results for Germany are provided by Kuhnert et al. (2013). This paper aims to offer an overview on how many and what types of farms actually abandon organic farming in Germany. Probit-estimations are used to identify indications for determinants of reversion from organic to conventional agriculture.  Material and methods  Analyses are based on micro data of the official statistics on German agriculture, which are available for scientific research in the Research Data Centres of the Federal Statistical Office and the statistical offices of the Länder. Data of the farm structure surveys 2003 and 2007, as well as the agricultural censuses 1999 and 2010, have been linked over the years, so that farms can be tracked over the entire period at an individual operational level. Hence, the panel allows detailed longitudinal analysis of the agricultural sector and provides comprehensive information concerning land use, livestock and structural conditions of German farms. Descriptive statistics are used to give an overview of farms abandoning organic production methods. Moreover, probit-estimations reveal first determinants for the reversion from organic to conventional agriculture. For this purpose farm characteristics and regional factors of 2007 serve as independent variables to explain production methods applied in 2010. Results  According to publications of official statistics, the number of organic farms in Germany rose from 13,838 in 2007 to 16,532 farms in 2010. This corresponds to an increase of 19 percent. While standard publications do not disclose any information on the underlying gross trends, micro data analyses of Heinze and Vogel (2012) show that 1,258 farms which were operating organically in 2007 had returned to conventional methods by 2010. This means that between 2007 and 2010 an annual average of 419 organic farms gave up organic methods in order to become conventional. Moreover, 792 farms were not in the data set anymore in 2010 for several reasons (farm left the market, farm dropped beneath the threshold of coverage, farm merged with another one, farm transferred its headquarters to another state). Regional analyses of reversion reveal that there are widespread differences across Germany: the highest share can be found in the administrative region of Cologne, where almost every fifth organic farmer returned to conventional agriculture between 2007 and 2010. But also in Thuringia, the eastern parts of Bavaria, Saxony and Hesse as well as the western regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg, more                                                  1 Thuenen Institute of Farm Economics, Germany, www.ti.bund.de, e-Mail: sanna.heinze@ti.bund.de  2 Statistikamt Nord, Germany, www.statistik-nord.de, e-Mail: alexander.vogel@statistik-nord.de  HEINZE S., VOGEL A. Reversion from organic to conventional agriculture in Germany   348 than one out of ten organic farms became conventional by 2010. In absolute terms most reverting farms could be found in the administrative regions of Oberbayern (196 farms), Freiburg (100 farms) and Kassel (71 farms). Exceptionally low reversion rates prevail in the city states (0%) and in the former administrative region of Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt (1.9%), where, however, the total number of organic farms is rather small. Probit-estimations of the data set were carried out separately for eastern and western Germany, as there are still differences in farm structure between the regions more than 20 years after the German reunification. The results show that experience gathered in organic farming and a higher share of organically cultivated land on the farm negatively impacted reversion to conventional farming. The existence of organically reared livestock shows a negative influence on abandoning organic farming methods, too. A higher share of grassland, however, increases the likelihood of reversion. In western Germany, additionally, a higher number of people employed on the farm, as well as the fact that the farm is run on a subsidiary basis, positively impacts reversion. In eastern Germany a higher share of organic farms in the district has a negative influence on reversion (for detailed results see Heinze and Vogel, 2012). Discussion  In conclusion it can be stated that despite of the growing organic sector in Germany, there does exist an underlying counter-trend of organic farms reverting to conventional methods. For the organic sector it is relevant to know the differences between farms that continue organic farming and farms that leave the organic sector. In this regard probit estimations reveal first indications: Experience gathered in organic farming positively impacts on the continuation of organic farming. A larger share of fully converted land and the existence of organically-reared livestock also decrease the likelihood of reversion to conventional methods, while a higher proportion of permanent grassland shows a negative impact on the continuation of organic farming. However, analyses could not consider economic factors due to a lack of data. In addition it remains unclear, if farmers revert permanently or if they get back to organic farming at some point in the future. Further research is required here. Note  Previous analyses will be extended until the conference by including recent data of the farm structure survey 2013, which will be released in spring 2014. Hence, analyses cover a period from 1999 until 2013. Moreover, probabilities of occurrence and duration until reversion back to conventional agriculture will be estimated for German organic farms for the first time by using event history analysis (for methodological background information see, e.g., Blossfeld et al. 2007 and Läpple 2010).  References Blossfeld H-P, Golsch K & Rohwer G (2007): Event History Analysis with Stata. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Heinze S & Vogel A (2012): Ökologischer Landbau in Deutschland – Zu den Bestimmungsgründen von Umstellung und Rückumstellung. Berichte über Landwirtschaft 90 (3), p. 467-489. Kuhnert H, Behrens G, Hamm U, Müller H, Nieberg H, Sanders J & Strohm R (2013): Ausstiege aus dem ökologischen Landbau: Umfang – Gründe – Handlungsoptionen. Braunschweig: Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Thünen Rep 3. Läpple D (2010): Adoption and Abandonment of Organic Farming: An Empirical Investigation of the Irish Drystock Sector. Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 61, No.3, p. 697-714. Sauer J & Park T (2009): Organic Farming in Scandinavia – Productivity and Market Exit. Ecological Economics 68 (2009), p. 2243-2254. Schneeberger W, Schachner M & Kirner L (2002): Gründe für die Aufgabe der biologischen Wirtschaftsweise in Österreich. Die Bodenkultur 53 (2), p. 127-132. RAHMANN G & AKSOY U (Eds.) (2014) Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. ‘Building Organic Bridges’, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13-15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 23499)   349 HEINZE S., VOGEL A. Reversion from organic to conventional agriculture in Germany   350  

Leaf mass of clover-like legumes as a protein source in organic pig nutrition

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