Archive

Within the scope of the introduction of Switzerland’s Agricultural Policy 2002, underlying conditions will change so that there will be pressing need for a large number of farms to take action. Model calculations involving a medium-sized mixed farm show that between 1996 and 2003, given a surface increase of 2 % and an adaptation of…

The agricultural income of the test farms of the Central Analysis of Accountancy Data de-creased significantly between 1990 and 1995. The income situation slightly recovered in 1996 and 1997. Taking the general price increase into account, however, the nominal income remains clearly below the level reached at the beginning of the nineties. Over the course…

The FAT’s agro-economic research is focused on analyses, calculations and prognosis helping the farmers, agricultural advisors and agricultural policy in their decision-making processes. Any decision support is an intensive dialogue between the advisors and the decision-makers. The quantitative methods used depend on the specific problems. Agro-political measures in particular must be assessed according to economic,…

The increasing pressure on production costs in Swiss agriculture requires a most efficient use of the cost intensive factor of labour. The research in the field of economy of labour of the FAT endeavours to make available the appropriate bases for decisions.

Sustainable, that is to say economic, ecological and socially responsible production methods are increasingly requested by the general public and the agricultural policy makers. The primary goal of research in the field of process engineering is to develop and improve animal housing systems. Moreover, the research establishes essential bases for decisions in order to assess…

An environmental life cycle assessment of mechanical and mechanical-chemical weed control methods was established for ware potatoes, grain maize, winter rape and winter wheat, and compared to that of chemical techniques. Given the assumptions defined, the following conclusions can be drawn: The factors (fuel consumption, mechanisation, herbicide production, emissions, etc.) influencing the environmental impacts strongly…

The 7th report about agriculture of the Swiss Federal Council laid the foundations for a new ecological direction of Swiss agriculture. Additionally, the revision of the federal act on environment protection extended the legal measures of soil protection. Henceforth, physical and mechanical impacts that cause persistent damage of soil fertility must be avoided. In agriculture,…

Since 1992 an intensive (IS), an integrated (IP) and a low input (LI) farming system are compared on all arable plots of the Burgrain farm. The number of pesticide treatments in the integrated and the low input system was 63 % and 83 % lower than in the conventional, rather intensive farming system. Also the…