Summary
This paper presents findings from the North Wyke Farm Platform, an intensively instrumented research facility in southwest United Kingdom, to examine economic-environmental trade-offs in pasture-based cattle and sheep systems. Through data-mining of farm-scale trial results, the authors challenge the traditional assumption that economic and environmental performance are inherently opposed, instead proposing that higher soil organic carbon stocks correlate with both improved animal performance and reduced nutrient losses. The work demonstrates that farm-scale trials combined with environmental instrumentation provide a robust approach to develop scientifically sound guidance for managing soils, water, pasture and livestock in economically and environmentally sustainable ways.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK pastoral farming policy and practice, being based on research conducted on a commercial farm in southwest England. The results provide evidence-based guidance for UK farmers and policymakers seeking to improve both economic and environmental outcomes in ruminant production systems without assuming necessary trade-offs.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, animal performance metrics, nutrient losses to watercourses, botanical diversity, stocking density, economic profitability, environmental performance indicators
Outcomes reported
The study assessed economic-environmental trade-offs in cattle and sheep production systems using high-resolution data from an instrumented farm platform. It identified relationships between soil organic carbon stock, animal performance, nutrient losses, stocking density, botanical diversity and ecological outcomes.
Topic tags
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