In his second year of growing maize in tandem with beans, Jonathan Evans of Berry Hill Farm in Pembrokeshire has learned some valuable lessons, particularly in terms of crop establishment, variety selection and the importance of weed control.
Inclusion of maize in the dairy ration has long been favoured by many dairy farmers and with the current costs of other crops and inputs, 2022 represents an even better opportunity for maize.
On exposure to air silage can begin to break down resulting in heating and high DM losses. This process is known as aerobic spoilage. Aerobic spoilage is initiated mainly by yeasts which can grow using a variety of different substances particularly residual sugars and lactic acid. After the initial yeast activity, moulds join in. They are able to grow on a wider range of substances so spoilage accelerates. Such silages will also have reduced palatability.
The timing of nutritional inputs to the maize crop is usually early in the season, either applied to the seedbed pre-drilling, or early post-emergence up to the 4- 6 leaf stage.
Growers are being urged to monitor maize crop nutrition throughout the growing season, to make sure they reach their full potential.
Dr Simon Pope, Wynnstay crop protection manager, says ideally the nutrient inputs for sowing and establishment will already have been applied, and plans should be made regarding the maize crop nutrition throughout the rest of the season.
It is essential to achieve effective weed control early in the crop's development. To avoid an irreversible effect on yield all weeds should be removed by the four-leaf stage of the crop at the very latest, and before the weeds reach 100mm in height.
A range of herbicides are available for use in maize for broadleaved weed and grass weed control. They can be divided into two categories depending on their recommended timing of application - either pre-emergence or post-emergence.
New Volac research has taken a deeper look at the benefits of making multi-cut grass silage, whereby grass is cut younger and more often over the season, and examined how to better conserve this potentially high-quality forage.
Ecosyl additives such as Ecocool have been shown to typically reduce the fermentation losses by half and also to improve aerobic stability, keeping the silage cooler for longer. In addition, the Ecosyl range has a considerable weight of evidence from independent feeding trials which demonstrate improved animal performance for dairy, beef and sheep.
As we approach the beginning of the 2020 maize growing season, there are a few important things to consider pre-drilling in order to achieve a quality crop. We normally think about the effect of weather during the growing season, but this year the excess winter rainfall will also need to be taken into account.
