Mixed beef and cereal systems: choices of intensity of beef production system and implications for beef and cereal food outputs and emissions

WATERHOUSE, A.; RICCI, P.

Brasilia

Congreso; World Congress on Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest Systems (WCCLF) and the 3rd International Symposium on Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS3); 2015

There is considerable debate about the challenges of producing food and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in ruminant livestock systems. Land is not uniform in terms of capability and potential uses. Farmers make choices of use according to land type and further integrate use across land types within the farm. To investigate the relationships between choices in use of land of different types and choices of intensity of management a series of simulated UK style upland beef and cereal farming systems and were used to model inputs/outputs and greenhouse gas emissions. The systems were ranked differently depending upon which metric was chosen. The systems differed markedly in terms of total food production with systems using range grassland having the greatest potential producing most human food, but also having highest net emissions per farm. Systems making fullest use of rangeland, though had lowest emissions per kg human protein produced, whilst increasing the speed of finishing cattle for slaughter or using more efficient breed also reduced emissions per kg human protein produced. The rangeland area did not use fertiliser and so the nitrous oxide emissions by the cattle herd was reduced but needed good animal performance to be successful. Combining an extensive system for the breeding component and a more intensive system for the growing component of beef systems provided the best solution for lowest greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of human food produced.