Want to be better than average? Use dairy farm nutrient mass balances to improve performance

Abstract

With so many challenges in the dairy industry today, farm managers realize they need to be “better than average” to be in business for the long-term. Running a whole-farm nutrient mass balance (NMB) can help achieve this. The NMB assessment software and interpretation of results developed by the Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program can quickly evaluate a farm NMB. Tracking trends in NMBs for farms over the past 10 years in New York shows that farmers who calculate their whole-farm NMB each year tend to improve their balances over time. More farms meet the feasibility benchmarks now than in early years, illustrating that improvements can and are being made.