When Grass Determines Profitability

Serigstad AS and NIBIO launch research project on feed quality and sustainable forage

Serigstad AS is partnering with NIBIO in a new research project aimed at documenting how modern harvesting technology affects feed quality, resource use, and profitability in Norwegian forage production.

On Norwegian farms, a large share of profitability is decided during a few intense summer weeks. It is during the harvest that the foundation is laid for animal welfare, milk yield, and farm economics for the rest of the year. To obtain better documentation of the relationship between grass treatment and feed quality, Serigstad AS has entered into a collaboration with NIBIO.

The research project is titled The Importance of Harvesting Technology for Feed Quality and is supported through FORREGION Rogaland. The project will investigate how Serigstad’s newly developed rotor with flail knife technology affects packing density, fermentation, feed losses, the need for silage additives, and overall feed quality.

From Cutting to Opening the Grass

Traditional forage harvesting is largely based on knife cutting, where the hollow structure of the grass is mostly preserved. Serigstad’s flail knife technology is developed with a different approach. The flails flatten the grass and open the fiber structure before cutting. This provides better conditions for tight packing and more stable and faster fermentation during ensiling.

The further developed technology delivers more than 115,000 cuts per minute and builds on Serigstad’s long-standing forage harvester tradition—a machine that has been part of Norwegian agriculture for decades.

“Preliminary experience indicates better compaction and good feed quality. With this project, we will for the first time obtain research-based documentation of how grass treatment affects feed quality, fermentation, and feed intake,” says Trond Gjermund Haugen, Managing Director of Serigstad AS.

Trials Conducted at Jæren

The trials are carried out at NIBIO Særheim, where grass from the same field is harvested using both flail knives and a traditional trailed forage chopper. The feed is ensiled in mini silos with varying amounts of silage additive.

Measurements include:

• packing density
• losses during ensiling
• nutrient content
• hygienic quality

The results will be statistically analyzed to provide comparable and objective data for farmers, advisors, and the industry.

Senior researcher Mats Höglind at NIBIO leads the scientific work:

“We know that higher density often results in better fermentation and lower losses, but there is limited field data on how different harvesting technologies influence this. This project will provide much-needed knowledge for the sector.”

Potential for Reduced Plastic Use

Today, approximately 80 percent of all forage in Norway is stored in round bales, resulting in significant use of agricultural plastic. At the same time, many producers are considering alternative storage systems if feed quality, workflow, and profitability can be improved.

If improved grass treatment leads to higher packing density and more stable solutions for bunker silos and stacks, plastic use, time consumption, and costs can be reduced—while maintaining or improving forage quality.

From Grass to Value Creation

This preliminary project is a first step toward a larger main project. In the long term, the goal is to examine the relationships between harvesting technology, feed quality, animal health and welfare, milk yield, climate footprint, soil health, and farm economics—from the field to the feed bunk.

“When forage accounts for a significant share of a farm’s contribution margin, this is not just about agronomy. It is about documented technology, efficient use of resources, and long-term competitiveness,” Haugen concludes.