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To measure how intensively a farm is being managed, the term livestock unit per hectare is used - Leaving Cert Agricultural Science - Question a - 2007
Question a
To measure how intensively a farm is being managed, the term livestock unit per hectare is used. Explain the term livestock unit and give an approximate value for th... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:To measure how intensively a farm is being managed, the term livestock unit per hectare is used - Leaving Cert Agricultural Science - Question a - 2007
Step 1
Explain the term livestock unit
Answer
A livestock unit (LU) refers to a standard measurement that quantifies the amount of feed consumed by livestock. It is based on the amount of fodder required by a mature productive cow, which is considered to consume a specific quantity of food equivalent to approximately 550 kg animal. In other terms, this also translates to about 5 to 7 sheep being equivalent to one livestock unit.
Step 2
Give an approximate value for the livestock unit per hectare for an intensively managed dairy farm
Answer
For an intensively managed dairy farm, the common range of livestock units per hectare is between 2 to 2.5 LU. This indicates a high density of livestock relative to the land area available, suggesting efficient utilization of resources.