Maize
Extra maize yield needs careful management
E
ast Anglian maize grow- ers are benefi tting from both an early harvest and yield increases of 15% over aver- age this year. With harvest well underway in the region, producers should plan harvest and clamp man- agement carefully to avoid los- ing valuable feed material due to the extra volume, says Lucy Smith-Reeve of Suffolk-based for- age specialists Grainseed. “The fi rst part of the harvest suggests yields are 2.5 – 5.0t/ha (1.0- 2.0t/acre) up on average year with excellent quality too,” says Ms Smith-Reeve. “Fields are con- sistent with few poorer patches and there are some really big crops coming in.
“Because of the sheer bulk it could be worth looking at cutting crops at a height of 50cm as op- posed to a more conventional 10- 15cm.”
Nutrient content Feeding trials have shown such an approach adding 1.2% to dry matter, another 1.2% to starch content, 1.5% to NDF and 0.15mj/ kgDM to ME. All in all, the advan- tage is an extra 0.25l/cow/day of milk from every kg fed.
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Because of the sheer bulk it could be worth looking at cutting crops at a height of 50cm
These quality improvements
will all but make up for the drop in the volume of overall mate- rial harvested, says Ms Smith- Reeve. But cutting the crop high- er could also help with storage, she explains.
“If you don’t cut higher you’re probably going to have to ag-bag the extra or make a fi eld clamp to accommodate the extra yield – but remember the Environmen- tal Agency will need two weeks notice before this. “You can go higher in existing
clamps, but you then face prob- lems with aerobic stability dur- ing feed-out if you’re not careful and there are considerable safe- ty issues when removing mate- rial from high clamps.”
Additives
Additives could help to counter- act any issues of aerobic stability
in extended or temporary storage. “Maize itself has lots sugar and a low buffering capacity so additives are not generally need- ed for fermentation, but they can play a role where feed-out is less than 1.5m per week in the winter and 2.5m per week in the summer to prevent heating at the face or feed passage. “An oxygen scavenging addi-
tive such as Silosolve FC is ben- efi cial in these situations and an oxygen barrier sheet such as silo- stop would be a good investment for all clamps this year.” The early harvest has also provided good opportunities for establishing following crops, Ms Smith-Reeve points out. “Many growers rotate their maize around the farm and grow winter wheat or reseed grass after maize and all maize stubble should have a crop in it if at all possible.”
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www.agriculturallime.co.uk 20 MIDLAND FARMER • OCTOBER 2017
There are some really big crops coming in, says Lucy Smith-Reeve
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