Data to estimate costs of producing grass-clover silages

Abstract

This article presents input data and procedures used to estimate costs of producing grass-clover silages under Norwegian farming conditions. Data of yield, botanical composition and forage quality of the grass crop were derived from a field experiment comparing a three-cut system, harvested at early crop maturity stages producing highly digestible forages, and a two-cut system returning higher herbage yields of medium digestibility. Secondary data on prices of specific inputs were also provided. The data presented here can be used by advisors and farmers as a decision support tool for assessing and comparing costs of different ways of producing silage. Cost estimates of home-grown forages are also needed in bio-economic evaluations of grassland production and utilization by researchers. The data presented is related to the research article entitled: "Technical and economic performance of alternative feeds in dairy and pig production" [1].

Keywords: Cost of production; Cutting system; Economic analysis; Forage quality; Grassland; Mountain farming; Yield.