Dairy farmer, Jonathan Evans, wanted to improve milk quality from his 220 cows with the aim to better milk price.
He took advantage of the fact that as a Wynnstay customer he had access to a team of qualified agronomists and nutritionists to assess his needs and find a solution to achieve his goal of a higher milk price.
Read more: Why is maize an attractive forage option for 2022?
The Solution: Reintroduce maize as a foundation for winter rations.
Pulling on Wynnstay Nutritionist, David Howard’s experiences, Jonathon learnt how the energy content and bypass starch that Maize has to offer has helped drive rumen fermentation and increase milk quality, on other dairy farms. Having grown maize before, Jonathon decided to go back into the crop.
He wanted early maturing varieties as this would allow him to follow up with either a grass ley or forage rye. As a first-year back, they grew two varieties.
Wynnstay Agronomist Lawrence Couzens recommended LG Gema as agronomically it would fit the bill while delivering the high-quality feed David would need as the foundation for the winter rations.
The Process: Selecting the right maize seed
Wynnstay Agronomist Lawrence Couzens recommended LG Gema as agronomically it would fit the bill while delivering the high-quality feed David would need as the foundation for the winter rations.
Gema is an ultra-early maturing variety (FAO 150) with a shorter growing season and good early vigour. It delivers high dry matter yields and is capable of producing a high starch forage.
The Results: Impressive yield and 1ppl increase in milk price
Throughout the growing season, Jonathan Evans commented that the Gema was ahead of the other varieties and when ready to harvest, was standing 3 metres high with large cobs. On average, the maize yielded at 42t/ha with the Gema yielding highest at 44t/ha. The analysis has been good at 33.2% dry matter, 32% starch and 11.4MJ ME.
Proven effect on milk quality
In September milk quality was running at 4.0% fat and 3.15% protein. In October it averaged 4.58% and 3.33% for the month and in November the averages were 4.55% fat and 3.42% protein. The increased milk quality is worth around 1ppl extra milk price.
Milk yields have also risen. The herd is now averaging 29.8 litres compared to 26.0 litres in September. Purchased feed costs per litre have come back from 9.3ppl to 6.3ppl.
Based on the improved performance, Jonathan Evans is keen to grow more maize in 2022. He is planning to grow 49 hectares and at least 75% of the crop will be Gema.
Maize Guide
Along with details on this years recommended varieties, our guide includes advice on how to get the most from your crop.
