Compressed growth – The transforming power of the round bale technology

• Published in: Journal of rural studies Vol. 84; pp. 174 - 179
• Main Authors: Fuglestad, Eirik Magnus, Vik, Jostein, Finstad, Terje, Søraa, Roger Andre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elmsford Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Agricultural development; Agricultural equipment; Agricultural industry; Agricultural practices; Agricultural production; Agricultural technology; Agriculture; Agriculture transitions; Baling; Case studies; Farming technology; Institutional aspects; New technology; Norway; Organizational aspects; Round bale press; Rural areas; Rural communities; Silage; Silage bale press; Sociocultural factors; Technology; Norway; Agriculture; Norway; Agriculture transitions; Silage bale press; Farming technology; Round bale press
• ISSN: 0743-0167; 1873-1392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.04.005

Silage bailer technology preserving harvested grass and turning it into silage by a baling machine attached to a tractor is common in most rural regions in Norway. In this paper, we argue that not only have silage bales become a common sight in rural areas, in certain cases, silage bales have also had profound significance for agricultural development without much attention paid to their profound role and implications. Norway represents such a case, and a deeper understanding of how such a now common agriculture technology became established could shed light on how the introduction of new technologies affects agricultural change on societal and structural levels. This includes how technologies interact with societal and organizational aspects of agriculture – the co-production of technology and societal practices on different levels. How does new technologies connect – influence and become influenced by – socio-cultural farm practices and societal, organizational and structural features of Norwegian agriculture? We use the introduction of the silag round bale press in Norway as a case study to shed light on this implementation process and its significance for the Norwegian agricultural sector.
•Presents new data on the introduction and use of the round bale technology in Norway.•Points to a correlation between the emergence of automated milking systems and the round baler.•The baler has had a major role in transforming the Norwegian dairy structure into one of larger farms with more rented land.•The silage baler became a temporary solution to a permanent problem of increasing production.•Suggests that new technologies can have unintended consequences, policymakers should be aware of this.