Silage Insights

Norway

Norway is a long and mountainous country. Agriculture is mainly restricted to the coastal belt and the southeast, around Oslo. In the farming areas the climate is modified by the Gulf Stream. There are two important areas for dairy farming: the southern coastal plain near Stavanger, and the west coast near Trondheim.

Agricultural trends

Farms are small and family owned with a high participation of part-time farming. This creates challenges for the members of younger generations if they wish to continue farming.

The very small size of many Norwegian farms, with only two to three cows in parts of the central region, means that many farms only survive with the help of government intervention which subsidises farming as a means of regulating rural de-population.

Silage production trends

Grass silage is the most important conserved forage crop in Norway, with only about 3% of grassland harvested for hay.

The amount of silage and hay has decreased over the past years due to the reduced areas harvested and lower estimated yields.

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