Sustainable Silage seminar and field day (OSI event)
On 12 September 2025, farmers and agricultural professionals are invited to the Sustainable Silage Seminar and Field Day in Tartu, Estonia. This practical event showcases the results of the Sustainable Silage project, a flagship OSI initiative (2023–2025) dedicated to reducing silage effluents and nutrient leakages across the entire production cycle.
What happens on a farm doesn’t stay on a farm
Nutrients from silage — the fermented feed that keeps cattle fed throughout the year — can seep into rivers, lakes, and eventually the Baltic Sea.
Too many nutrients in the water mean algae blooms, oxygen loss, and declining fish stocks.
In short, it’s a problem for all of us, not just farmers. That’s where Sustainable Silage comes in.
Participants will be introduced to the newly published Feed Production Handbook and take part in a field visit at the Rõhu experimental station of the Estonian University of Life Sciences. The programme features a maize fertilisation trial on the lysimeter field, grain corn and grassland experiments with innovative seed mixtures, as well as demonstrations of cutting-edge technology—including Estonia’s first agricultural robot and the latest machinery innovations.
Time: September 12, 2025 at 10:00 – 15:30
Venue: Kalda auditorium 1A5, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu and Rõhu experimental stations, Õunaaia tee 5, Rõhu village, Tartu city
The agenda of the event:
- 10.00 Gathering and welcome coffee in Kalda Auditorium 1A5, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, Tartu, Estonia.
- 10.30 Opening (Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce team)
- 10.40 Greetings from Central Baltic Joint Secretariat / European Commission
- 11.00 Presentation of the Manual of environmentally friendly feed production (Are Selge, the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge)
- 11.30 Possibilities to use silage effluents in fertilization. Introducing the Sustainable Silage trial (Sirje Tamm, the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge)
- 11.45 New knowledge and recommendations for farmers gained from Sustainable Silage pilot farms. Introductions of maize fertilisation trials (Kristiina Märs, Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce)
- 12.15 Driving to Rõhu trial center (ca 15 minutes)
- 12.30 Lunch at the Rõhu trial center
- 13.30 Presentation of maize fertilization trials in the fields. The trial field is equipped with innovative technology- Field Lysimeter- which can be used to study the transport of water and material through the soil and to estimate the nutrient leaching from the field (Are Selge, Kristiina Märs)
- 14.30 Demonstration of agricultural robot and drone in action. Demonstration of innovative machinery for feed production
- Ca 15.30 Closing of the event, farewell cake
More information: Karmen Roost, Project manager, Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, karmen@epkk.ee, +372 5341 4995
The seminar and field day is organised within the framework of the Sustainable Silage project, co-financed by the Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027. The project is implemented in partnership with the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge, NGO Farmers Parliament (Latvia), the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, and ProAgria Western Finland.
Find out more: Project partners.
