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XtraBlatt Issue 02-2019

TITLE THEME PASTURE

TITLE THEME PASTURE MANAGEMENT: DENMARK SUCCESSFUL DESPITE FERTILISER LIMIT Rotational grass leys with clover in the mix are important feed sources on many Danish dairy farms. 6

In Germany the intensified Fertiliser Ordinance still hangs like a dark cloud over the country’s agriculture. But Danish farmers have already navigated the storms involved and by now have 20 years’ experience of pasture management under “nutrient input limits”. XtraBlatt travels north to discover how they manage. On some 450 ha farmland, Niels Laursen grows around 100 ha of mainly rotational grass pasture. The drive from the border crossing Padborg northwest through south Jutland in September presents a very clear picture: the forage maize looks extremely promising, nurturing hopes of an above-average harvest. “Compared with Germany, the maize here in the high north is normally not so tall, but this year the crop is truly glorious”, enthuses Dan Hamann, managing director of the Brøns Group, the headquarters of which I’m visiting in the small community of Brøns, situated directly on the western Jutland coastline. Among other things, he’s exclusive importer for Krone and Amazone in Denmark. Servicing around 20 regional dealerships, he and his 30-strong team also support Danish farmers in machinery sales, service and advisory input. Quite apart from this year’s forage, Danish dairy farmers currently find themselves in a pretty good position at the moment, reckons Dan Hamann. A glance at national statistics shows cow numbers had dropped to around 525,000 head by the middle of the present decade. But now, post-quota, they’re heading up again. Present cow population in Queen Margrethe’s realm tops 575,000. On the way down, on the other hand, is the number of farms. By 2017, those keeping milking cows had slipped below 3,000. Danish pig farms number less than 2,300. The figure for all farms is put at a good 34,700 for the same year – almost 20% less than in 2010. “Based on the average size of dairy farm generally accepted as viable for the future, enterprises nowadays need some 300 ha of farmland or 300 cows, points out the Krone importer. “This is double the size thought to be required back in 2010. And the tendency indicates this trend will continue.” STOCKING RATE But what’s behind such drastic changes in structure? To take a closer look at this development, we visit farmer Niels Laursen at Ribe, some 15 km north of Brøns. On around 450 ha of ring-fenced arable and pasture land, including 220 ha owned, he runs 420 cows plus followers, a total of 800 head standing in two barns about 1 km apart, the result of buying a neighbouring farm a few years ago. While showing us around, Niels Laursen reports yield average at around 10,900 kg, fat 3.8.% protein 3.4%. Milking is per robot two to three times daily, depending on yield. His stocking rate allows this farmer to apply all produced manure on his own land. He’s not alone in this, reports Erik Helbo Bjergmark, who has joined our discussion. He works for the Seges agricultural advisory organisation in 7