Greener Farming, Cleaner Waters: How Sustainable Silage Is Helping Farmers Protect Nature and Our Future
Farmers in Estonia, Latvia, and Finland have been working together with EU support to make silage production more sustainable – reducing nutrient leakage and protecting the Baltic Sea.
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.
Farmers take the lead
For nearly three years, farmers, advisors, and researchers from Estonia, Latvia, and Finland have been working together in the EU-funded Sustainable Silage project, supported by the Interreg Central Baltic Programme.
Their goal: find practical ways to reduce nutrient leakage from silage production, while keeping farms productive and competitive.
Instead of relying only on research in labs, the project went straight to the source. Farmers tested new practices and technologies on 26 pilot farms, learned how silage liquid — once seen only as waste — could be reused as fertiliser, and tried out robots, drones, and new machinery that show how precision farming can save resources and protect the environment.
Science meets practice
The project didn’t stop at experiments. Researchers turned their findings into a Practical Manual of Environmentally Friendly Feed Production – a handbook for farmers across the region.
Easy to use and grounded in real farm experience, it explains step by step how to produce silage in a way that’s good for animals, farms, and the environment.
The handbook will be officially presented at the upcoming Sustainable Silage seminar and field day on 12 September in Tartu, Estonia, where farmers and experts will share results from maize fertilisation trials and provide practical tips for reducing nutrient losses.
Later, at the Rõhu trial center, visitors will experience innovations firsthand: the Field Lysimeter that shows how water and nutrients move through soil, demonstrations of an agricultural robot and drone for precision farming, and the latest machinery for silage management presented by leading equipment companies. Together, these activities highlight how knowledge, technology, and hands-on farming can create lasting solutions.
Why farmers and the Baltic Sea both win
The project’s impact goes far beyond the 26 pilot farms. More than 200 farmers have already taken part in trainings, seminars, and field days, gaining knowledge that helps them balance productivity with environmental care. At the same time, ministries, environmental boards, and farmer organisations have been actively involved to ensure that the project’s results shape future agricultural policies.
By reducing nutrient runoff and improving silage practices, the project supports the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region – both aiming for cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and more sustainable farming.
Powered by European cooperation
None of this would have been possible without EU support. The Sustainable Silage project had a total budget of €2,098,940, of which €1,675,151.90 was co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027.
The project is the first joint initiative of its kind in the region, uniting farmers and researchers across borders. It has been carried out by:
Sustainable Silage is a powerful reminder that when European countries work together, local problems can be solved with solutions that benefit us all. It shows that greener farming is not only possible – it’s already happening. Cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and stronger farms are within reach, thanks to collaboration and EU funding.
Sustainable Silage project has been selected among the Operations of Strategic Importance (OSI), or strategic projects, which are key initiatives in the 2021-2027 EU programmes, including Interreg. They highlight significant contributions to programme objectives, showcasing the impact of EU funding.
Author: Kersti Valde-Komp, Communication Manager of the Interreg Central Baltic Programme
