The Economy of Wide-Area Distribution of Grass Silage

Abstract

This paper clarifies the challenges and economy of the wide-area distribution of grass silage. The main conclusions are as follows: The wide-area distribution of grass silage in Hokkaido’s dairy farming areas is most likely to succeed when surplus grass silage is sold within a day-trip range. In contrast, gaining profit outside of the day-trip range can be difficult unless selling certain high-quality silage. Thus, based on current production costs and transportation fees, the wide-area distribution of grass silage is unlikely to expand between the northern Hokkaido grassland-based dairy farming area and the upland farming area. Therefore, improving yield and addressing unbalanced transport are necessary to reduce production and transportation costs, respectively.