Brought to you by Limagrain
VEM: less starch, good digestibility
The figures of the more than 1.100 maize silage analyzes submitted in the national VEM competition provide an interesting picture of the feed quality of the maize. As expected, the very dry and warm summer is reflected in the quality.
As expected, the starch content of the 1.100 maize silages submitted is lagging behind considerably. Due to the drought of last summer, the cob setting and grain filling have remained behind on many plots. This is reflected in the starch content (370) and dry matter content (38,8).
High nutritional value
However, the feed value of the silages is certainly not disappointing: an average of 1.008 VEM per kilo of dry matter. Also silages with less starch often score well on the feed value. Because the maize was harvested much earlier, there was less lignin formation. That is why the cell wall digestibility is on average higher this year than in a 'normal' year. A higher VEM can also be because there is slightly more sugar in the maize, due to the partly cobless maize.
VEM from the residual plant
The nutritional value from the residual plant is precisely the reason why Limagrain has long been breeding not only for starch and yield, but also for the high cell wall digestibility. Good cell wall digestibility means that the cow can extract more energy from the residual plant. The result: more VEM per kilo of dry matter and therefore more yield from every bite of silage maize.
We see the result of this every year in the VEM competition, with more than 1.100 maize silages from all over the Netherlands this year. As can be seen in the graph, an average of 14 VEM extra per kilo of dry matter, resulting from the higher cell wall digestibility.
Last chance VEM match
This week is the last chance to send in your pit analysis to www.vemmatch.nl† You will receive a pair of warm winter socks anyway and you also have a chance to win a fully catered hotel weekend.
