Photo AI
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
The livestock unit (LU) is a standardized measurement used in agriculture to quantify the amount of livestock on a farm relative to the total food they consume. Specifically, one livestock unit is equivalent to an animal that consumes a quantity of food similar to that of a mature productive cow, which typically weighs around 550 kg. Alternatively, this can be translated to 5-7 sheep. This measurement allows farmers to assess how intensively they are managing their livestock in terms of feed requirements and land use.
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 approximate value is between 2 to 2.5 livestock units per hectare. This indicates that the farm can sustainably support around 2 to 2.5 mature cows, or an equivalent weight of smaller livestock like sheep, on each hectare of land.