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Maize harvest 2022: another challenge this year
The corn is still in the field, but for how long? A lot of maize is in danger of becoming emergency ripe due to the great drought. Depending on the soil fertility and the amount of precipitation between the plots and regions, the differences in maize quality are large.
To determine the nutritional quality of the maize, we have to wait for the first analyses, but there will certainly be a large variation in nutritional value. These big differences in the maize will be a big challenge in optimizing the dairy ration!
What to do with cobless corn?
If drought has prevented the cob from coming into the maize, unfortunately not harvesting the maize is the best option. We can say that corn that has grown no higher than 50 to 90 centimeters and has no cob has simply failed. Harvesting these plants for dairy cattle feed makes no sense in almost most rations. Feeding this type of product to young stock is possible, but in most cases energy and protein products will also have to be added to the ration.
When there is a shortage of roughage on the farm, our advice is to remove the maize from the field as soon as possible and Fast Spring Rye be sown. In this way, work can already be done in early spring on building up the roughage stock.
What to do with already dried corn that has a cob in it?
When the maize plant has dried up, but a cob is present, you can choose to harvest the plant at a minimum dry matter percentage of 28%. You can choose to chop higher to maintain the energy and thus the starch content.
If the dried part of the silage maize is part of your total acreage of silage maize, it can be interesting to ensilage the maize from these plots separately and to extract roughage from this for young stock and dry cows. When harvesting this silage maize, keep in mind that the preservation process is more difficult. Pay extra attention to the silage process (driving in, silage, covering in time, etc.)
Starch in the dairy ration
Starch is an important source of energy, it stimulates both milk and milk protein production. Growing maize is a very economical crop if we look at the cost price versus the feed value. Maize with a starch content of 350 - 400 allows you to easily control the dairy cattle ration. If the starch content is lower than 300, it becomes more difficult in many dairy rations to have sufficient starch coverage. With the expectation of harvesting silage maize with such a starch content, it is important to calculate in the short term what can be done to maintain milk production during the period in which the maize is being fed!
In the cultivation and feed planner of Farm desk simulations can be made in which the yield of the maize as well as the starch content can be adapted to the current conditions. All feed products, such as Feedbeet, grass and purchased feed materials can be implemented.
It is possible to calculate with the current feed stock, as well as with the future. By entering these parameters, you as a dairy farmer get a practical picture in the cultivation and feed planner at company level for the coming period. So you map out your company, both in terms of feed technology and economically.
What happens with a lower yield of the harvested roughage?
In addition to the supply of silage maize, the amount of harvested grass was lower in many places than in previous years. The yields of maize sown after a first cut of grass, or on plots that have suffered from the drought, will be much lower in starch content and yield.
Feeding these yields into Farmdesk's cultivation module reveals how it affects milk production. Ultimately, the simulation will help you with the choices you make in your company for the coming period. For example, does extra maize need to be purchased on stock and if so how much? Which by-products are economically interesting to purchase when harvesting your maize as MKS? Which compound feeds or dry raw materials are interesting from a feed point of view in the coming period? Below you can see how you can easily reset the yield of a cultivation in the cultivation module business management. If you normally have about 18 tons of dry matter per hectare of one hectare of silage maize on your farm, due to the drought this can drop sharply to, for example, 13 tons of dry matter per hectare. The yield of grass is also adjusted to 8 tons of dry matter per hectare. The yield of MKS is reset to 8 tons of dry matter per hectare.
Simulation with lower yields of the harvested roughage:
Simulation with good yields of the harvested roughage:
Comparisons can also be made when making the simulations. Each simulation indicates the feed costs and feed profit, so that you can calculate the most optimal and economical cultivation plan and ration at company level.
The cultivation and feed planner calculates an optimal ration with the most economical solution. Which (by)products are interesting to buy, which starch products may fit in the ration?
After making and possibly adjusting the simulation, a ration score is obtained. This ration score tells you whether the included products nutritionally cover the basic needs of the dairy cattle. These are based on the nutritional values of the CVB.
When it is expected that the silage maize and other crops will have a lower than average feed value, it is important that the feed values are adjusted. Overvaluing feeds does not give the right outcome, so you count yourself rich, which ultimately is of no use to you. So after adjusting, the program immediately calculates with the new values, so that more of a product or another product may be included. Do you have questions about determining the right harvest time or incorporating (partially) desiccated maize into the dairy ration? Then take contact us or for more information see our website.
