Exploring the relationship between CO2 emissions from on-farm use of diesel fuel and costs associated with forage harvesting – A win-to-win situation

ABSTRACT The aims of this paper were to explore which factors explain (i) the direct emission of CO2 from on-farm use of fuel to harvest forage and (ii) the costs of different harvesting management practices. Data on harvesting practices, CO2 emission and forage costs were collected through farm visits on 184 dairy farms in all regions of Norway in 2017 and 2018. To analyze data, machine learning methods were used. The findings show that forage harvesting capacity and forage yield are associated with CO2 emissions from on-farm use of diesel fuel and harvesting costs. Factors that mitigate CO2 emissions from harvesting coincide with factors that contribute to reduced harvesting costs. Thus the findings suggest a ‘win-to-win’ relationship between the interests of the farming business and environmental sustainability. The findings have implications for dairy farmers and policy makers.