Fertile Cycle Northern Netherlands: 2016–2021 Factsheet

Over a period of six years, Vruchtbare Kringloop Noord-Nederland has compiled a unique dataset containing information on milk production, land use, manure and nitrogen emissions, and sustainability indicators at participating dairy farms. The data show an 8% increase in land area, a 12% rise in milk production, and a 4% decrease in ammonia emissions per hectare. The proportion of permanent grassland fell from 76% to 72%, the proportion of protein from on-farm production fell from 70.2% to 58.4%, and the nitrogen surplus in the soil rose from 150 to 200 kg/ha. The number of grazing days per cow per year rose from 1,139 to 1,310. Milk production per cow rose from 9,230 kg FPCM in 2016 to 10,040 kg in 2020. The sustainability indicators show improvements in biodiversity, protein output and access to pasture, whilst soil health depends on the quality of the grassland.