Characterization of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium mass balances of dairy farms in New York State

A whole-farm nutrient mass balance (NMB) is a useful measure of the nutrient status of a dairy farm. Research is needed to define and determine a feasible NMB range for dairy farm systems in New York State (NY). The objectives of this study were to (1) document the distribution of N, P, and K mass balances of 102 NY dairy farms (including 75 small, 15 medium, and 12 large farms); (2) establish initial NMB benchmarks based on what 75% of the farms achieved; (3) determine the maximum animal density that allows an example NY dairy farm to balance cow P excretions and crop P removal without exporting crops or manure; and (4) identify opportunities to improve NMB over time. Nutrient mass balances of the 102 farms ranged from −39 to 237 kg of N/ha for N without including N2 fixation (N1), from −14 to 259 kg of N/ha when N2 fixation was included (N2), from −7 to 51 kg of P/ha, and from −46 to 148 kg of K/ha. Seventy-five percent of the farms were operating at NMB less than 118 kg of N/ha for N1, 146 kg of N/ha for N2, 13 kg of P/ha, and 41 kg of K/ha (75% benchmarks). Farms with the highest nutrient use efficiencies (lowest NMB per unit of milk produced) operated with less than 8.8 kg of N/Mg of milk for N1, 11.8 kg of N/Mg of milk for N2, 1.1 kg of P/Mg of milk, and 3.0 kg of K/Mg of milk. The biggest contributor to the NMB was the amount of imported nutrients, primarily feed purchases. The example farm assessment (assuming no export of crops or manure) suggested that, when 70% of the feed is produced on the farm and P in feed rations does not exceed 4 g of P/kg of DM, cow P excretion and crop P removal were balanced at a maximum animal density of 2.4 animal units (AU)/ha (~0.97 AU/acre). Dairy farms operating with animal densities <2.4 AU/ha typically had NMB below the 75% benchmark, whereas most dairies with more than 2.4 AU/ha needed to export manure or crops to meet the 75% benchmark. Opportunities to reduce NMB on many farms, independent of size and without changes in animal density, are possible by more tightly managing fertilizer and feed imports, increasing the percentage of farm-produced nutrients, implementing precision feeding, and exporting crops or manure.