Archive
93 posts
Sugar beet pulp and silage quality
In the next years the sugar beet factories in Switzerland intend to press the sugar beet pulp more strongly. In an experiment we ensiled sugar beet pulp with 20 % (standard) and 27 % dry matter (DM) in order to investigate the influence of the DM-content on the fermentation quality and on the aerobic stability.…
The importance of factors of variation on the nutritive value of silage maize
It is difficult to determine the energy value of forage maize with a satisfactory level of precision. The effects of the climatic conditions are not yet sufficiently known. Although the influence of the genotype is better known it should be determined with greater precision, especially in varieties in which stem and cob do not mature…
Animal feed analysis using microcopy
Since the appearance of mad cow disease (BSE), most of the animal feeds sold or produced in Switzerland are officially and systematically tested for contamination with animal by-products. The method of analysis consists in fractionating (sedimenting and sieving), followed by coloration and observation under the microscope. Particles of animal origin are recognized by their color,…
Life cycle assessment of the extensive production of cereals and rape seed
The environmental impact of the extensive production of cereals and rape seed called «Extenso» was analysed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The extensification measure, that is the ban of fungicides, insecticides and growth regulators, resulted in a reduction of the quantity of pesticides applied by up to 50 % and a decrease of…
Investment costs for larger dairy barns in Switzerland
The aim of the present survey was to evaluate the investments for larger dairy barns in Switzerland based on realized objects. The investments were analyzed on 22 objects built between 1998 and 2001 with an average capacity of 84 animal units (AU) (52 – 190 AU). The capital cost was evaluated based on the construction…
Women in Agriculture Today
The present study examines the position of women in agriculture in Switzerland. It is still the case that many women who work in the agricultural sector today come from a farming background. As a rule, however, their principal training was not in agriculture. Their main spheres of activity are housework, family and gardening, followed by…
Foresight – using scenarios to shape the future
In the year 2000, the Agricultural Research Business Unit (ARBU) of the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) decided to carry out a Foresight Process. Foresight means taking a systematic look at the future in order to be able to draw conclusions about actions taken or not taken in the present. Foresight is applied internationally…
The earthworm populations in two soils
The relation between earthworm populations and site properties was studied in a gleyic and in a calcaric cambisol. In the wet gleyic cambisol the earthworm biomass was 54 % higher than in the drier calcaric cambisol. By increasing the aeration of the soil and a more intense mixing of organic and mineral soil constituents, earthworms…
Different stocking densities in Swiss broiler production
In a trial with 4’200 broilers (Ross PM3, male : female = 1 : 1) the effect of different stocking densities (25, 27,5, 30, 32,5 and 35 kg live weight per m2) was studied in 20 units of 16 m2, each. The trial was conducted from day 1 to day 41. Growth perfor-mance, carcass charac-teristics…
A case study on the growing and marketing of old land races
This paper deals with biodiversity conservation by economic activities in the food and nutrition sector. A case study about the growing and marketing of the wheat species Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) in the region Schaffhausen analyses necessary success factors for the development of similar regional economic activities. Such success factors are the involved regional production capabilities,…
Farm growth in hill regions: reorganising the hay harvest
On a well-equipped upland farm the daily indoor tasks hardly differ from those of a lowland farm on which beef cattle are reared. From this point of view it would easily be possible for a two-generation hill farming family to keep 25 dairy cattle together with the same number of rearing beef cattle and starter…
Bio Weide-Beef – Beef Brand with high Consumer Benefit
Organic beef sold under the label Bio Weide-Beef® (BWB) has been marketed very successfully via outlets of the retailer Migros Ostschweiz since 1999. On the basis of two consumer surveys in outlets of Migros Ostschweiz, FiBL collected relevant information on the factors that most probably influenced the success of this label. The brand label program…
Efficiency: the key to profitable dairying
For profitable dairying, efficient high yielding dairy cows are needed. They can be characterised by a high feed conversion efficiency of over 1.2 kg energy corrected milk per kilogram annual dry matter consumption, by a low age at first calving and a long productive heard life. The annual milk yield is not a sufficient efficiency…
Structure and costs of different protected areas
The Swiss National Park, Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch and Wetland Preserve Glaubenberg in the cantons Obwalden and Luzern are compared with regard to their administrative structure and their costs. It becomes clear that the National Park is administered with more staff than the other areas, as informational services are offered to a large extent. That implies…
Soil nitrogen dynamics in different maize cropping systems
For a better understanding of soil nitrogen dynamics in maize cropping systems, Nmin content of soil and soil water samples from 0 to 100 cm depth were measured periodically in a loamy Cambisol near Zurich, Switzerland, from 1998 to 2000. Maize was sown either with conventional tillage (CT), rotary band seeding (RBS), or no-tillage (NT)…
Impact of different cultivation techniques on yield of maize silage
During the early growth of conventionally cropped maize, the soil surface is usually uncovered for nearly two months. Frequent heavy rainfalls, typical for Switzerland in spring, increase the risk of soil erosion. Cropping systems with reduced tillage intensity are suitable measures to prevent these negative environmental impacts. With rotary band seeding, a new system for…
Influence of different maize varieties on aerobic stability
Maize is a forage crop which is easy to ensile. However, aerobic instability, characterised by heating and spoilage processes, remains a major problem on many farms. A question is, whether the variety has an influence on the aerobic stability. Therefore, we cultivated four maize varieties with different ripening character (dry down and stay green) at…
Kentucky Bluegrass Pegasus: a New Variety with Top Marks
Between 1999 and 2001 the cultivation suitability of 12 varieties of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) has been tested at four experimental sites in Switzerland. Of the six new varieties included in the test only Pegasus got on the Swiss list of recommended varieties of forage crops. Pegasus had the highest dry matter yield of…
