Management‐related material and energy balances for the rating of production intensity and environmental acceptability of land use

A complex rating of the environmental acceptability, sustainability and consumption of resources by farms is possible when indicators characterizing the material and energy regime are used. Reference values for ecologically tolerable nutrient and humus levels as well as energy consumption and energy efficiency are used for assessing the results of nutrient, humus and energy balancing. Five conventionally and two ecologically run farms were analysed. They revealed explicitly large differences in their nutrient regimes, in the humus supply level, the consumption of fossil energy and energy intensity. Evaluations and analyses of the tested farms and of farms under other local conditions led to the conclusion that along with rising shares of cash crop products, mineral nitrogen input and energy consumption go up, whereas feed nitrogen supply, humus supply level and energy intensity go down. Ecological farms have advantages in nutrient regime and humus supply, however, they involve disadvantages in energy intensity.