Improved forage quality through more frequent cutting regimes: Impacts on farm economics, domestic feed share, and GHG emissions on dairy farms

Authors

• Rasmus Bang Centre for Applied Research at NHH, Helleveien 30, 5045 Bergen, Norway
• Bjørn Gunnar Hansen Tine SA Research and Development Department, c/o NMBU/KBM, Chr. Magnus Falsens vei 18, 1432 Ås, Norway
• Mario Guajardo NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Helleveien 30, 5045 Bergen; Centre for Applied Research at NHH, Helleveien 30, 5045 Bergen, Norway
• Jon Kristian Sommerseth Tine SA Research and Development Department, c/o NMBU/KBM, Chr. Magnus Falsens vei 18, 1432 Ås, Norway
• Ragnhild Borchsenius Norsk Landbruksrådgiving SA, Osloveien 1, 1433 Ås, Norway

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.177026

Keywords:

farm management, optimisation, self-sufficiency, sustainability, concentrate feed

Abstract

Increased forage quality from more frequent grass silage harvesting is often promoted as a measure to improve farm profitability, raise the domestic feed share, and reduce GHG emissions on dairy farms. However, how these effects depend on forage availability and management responses to avoid possible forage deficiency has received limited attention. Using a whole-farm optimisation model, we analysed the effects of a shift from a two-cut to a three-cut system on Norwegian dairy farms under different forage access and livestock adjustments. Higher forage quality allowed the same milk yield and growth per animal to be maintained with higher forage intake and lower concentrate use. Gross margins increased through lower concentrate costs when forage availability was sufficient, but declined under tight forage constraints unless mitigated by higher fertiliser use and livestock adjustments. The domestic feed shares generally increased as concentrate use declined, but the gain was offset when livestock adjustments increased concentrate reliance. Although higher forage quality has the potential to reduce emissions and emission intensities, the realised outcomes were mixed and depended on fertiliser use, herd size changes, and livestock adjustments.