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Craftsmanship required for feed gain from maize
Especially in these times of lower milk prices, it pays to pull out all the stops when managing corn silage. With high-quality corn varieties, farmers can extract additional VEM (Vegetable Energy Production) from their land. Rick Hoksbergen of Countus Accountants and Advisors emphasizes that the ultimate return depends on the farmer's overall management. Focusing on all areas is more rewarding than ever.
Rick Hoksbergen himself has a farming background and heads the agricultural expertise team at Countus. Hoksbergen explains that Countus's advice and expertise don't extend beyond maize variety selection, but several of his colleagues advise clients on the KringloopWijzer (Circular Cycle Indicator). Some of them are also farmers at home. So, the Countus advisors certainly have the necessary practical knowledge, including when it comes to feed efficiency.
Sharpened focus on costs
"As soon as the milk price drops, farmers immediately start looking at their invoices," is the accountant's experience. He says feed costs play a role, but the effect of things like better silage is more indirect. It plays a role in the longer term.
According to Hoksbergen, to improve feed efficiency, the first priority is concentrated feed and by-products. "We have a lot of reference material for comparison in our dataset. We also have a lot of data from the KringloopWijzer (Circle Indicator) on the average VEM results for grass and corn silage for the 'roughage' component," says Hoksbergen. "But there's still so much between the VEM analysis and the variety selection. We're seeing a lot of attention paid to grass silage among livestock farmers. Mowing a bit earlier, adding more energy with a higher digestibility coefficient. We're also seeing many farmers prioritize slightly drier ensiling to maintain a calmer rumen with that higher digestibility coefficient.
Utilizing the nutritional value of plants
"You only have one harvest time for corn, of course. I know a group of farmers who consciously choose a slightly drier corn silage because they want more starch. Others choose to utilize the plant's nutritional value; they don't just want to extract it from the kernel." Hoksbergen indicates that the proportion of corn in the ration and the composition of the rest of the ration play a role.
Forage profit with top maize
Whether you're calculating for more milk or saving on concentrate costs, Hoksbergen indicates that a maize harvest with a higher VEM can yield significant savings. Calculating a maize harvest that yields 50 VEM more per kilogram of maize dry matter at a 4-kilogram ration (based on an 80/20 grass/maize ratio), he makes a quick calculation: "A cow needs 486 VEM to produce a liter of milk, which is 0,4 liters of milk per cow, and the cow produces milk for approximately 328 days per year. That means an additional 135 liters per cow. For a farm with 115 dairy cows, that amounts to €7.600." If you also perform this calculation for concentrates, this quickly adds up to several thousand euros in savings, Hoksbergen calculates.
Big differences
"That's serious money, but it's just theory," the accountant emphasizes. "We see a wide range in feed efficiency between farms, even with the same maize varieties. That means there's much more at play." According to him, this involves cultivation, feed storage, feed management, and even livestock management. Hoksbergen emphasizes that these days, the total expertise is becoming increasingly important. "Above all, don't miss out on unnecessary profits in any area," is his motto. He therefore advises aiming for the highest possible potential VEM yield from maize if the opportunity arises.
Importance of crop yield is growing
Because less liquid manure can be spread, the accountant believes the importance of a good, high-quality yield is even greater. Maize yields more dry matter per hectare than grass. Although, according to him, many figures show that these differences are less pronounced than is commonly believed. But here too, Hoksbergen emphasizes the importance of being alert, especially during these times, and using everything to achieve the best possible starting position.
"The importance of achieving a good forage yield from your land will only increase, partly due to the government's push towards more extensification. Furthermore, maximizing your maize yield will result in relatively lower cultivation costs," says Hoksbergen.
'You cannot control the milk price, but you can control your feed costs'
This is what Jos Groot Koerkamp of Limagrain says: "High-quality maize can noticeably reduce the critical milk price – the price needed to meet all financial obligations – because the ration is used more efficiently. Due to a higher starch yield and better digestibility, each kilogram of dry matter provides more energy, which means that cows produce more milk with the same feed intake. We have increased the return on our LG Animal Nutrition Corn Varieties, with a good starch content and high cell wall digestibility, was tested in feeding trials by Schothorst Feed Research. These trials showed that high-producing cows fed our "concentrated maize" produce an average of half a liter more milk per day. This means that feed costs per liter decrease, because a larger portion of production comes from our own high-quality roughage instead of from purchased concentrates.
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