Denmark

Silage Production in Denmark

Denmark is the smallest and most densely populated of the four Nordic countries. It has no mountains, generally good soil and farms average 50 hectares in size.

Agricultural trends

Agriculture forms an important part of the Danish economy with most of the production concentrated in Jutland, the largest land mass in the country. The Jutland dominates to such an extent that according to 1999 statistics, the area accounted for 71% of the country’s total agricultural area and 86% of the cattle.

  • Average farm sizes are increasing as the number of actual units declines. Between 1970 and 2000 the average farm size more than doubled, from 21ha to less than 50ha.
  • The number of dairy cattle has also fallen in recent years but the average herd size has increased, with herds of fewer than 20 cows almost disappearing.
  • Milk production levels are stable as the yield per cow has risen from 6,615kg in 1990 to 7,328kg in 2000.

Farming in Denmark is of a high standard; it is highly mechanised and undertaken by a small labour force. Denmark has a strong, well-organised contractors’ association, with around 600 members; some 400 are involved in silage making and probably account for almost all of the silage made in Denmark.

Silage production trends

The total area used for fodder crops has remained relatively stable over the last five years, with variations between the different crops.

There is a trend towards a decrease of grass silage and an increasing popularity of maize and whole-crop cereal silage, mainly due to less machinery being required compared to grass silage, and subsidy from the EU for cereals and pulses.

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