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Keep an eye on your corn and harvest on time
The corn is still fresh on most plots and the harvest is a lot later than we have been used to in recent years. Nevertheless, ripening is going very smoothly and the first plots are now being harvested. So keep a close eye on your corn and schedule your contractor on time.
On maize demo fields throughout the Netherlands, where we analyze maize plants with the LG lab, and in our new platform agriculture we see the dry matter contents increasing rapidly:
The optimal dry matter content for silage maize is usually 36% to 38%. Chopping at this DM content, with a well-gripped cob, gives optimal returns from your maize cultivation:
- The crop has its own maximum dry matter yield achieved;
- The maximum starch yield has been achieved, the grains are fully ripe and the digestibility of the cob and plant is optimal;
- The palatability and utilization by cattle this DM content is highest;
- The chance of juice losses and scald is the lowest.
In the video, cultivation specialist Ludwig Oevermans see how to accurately determine the ds content:
Our advice
We know that fresh, fresh, healthy corn that goes into the silage with 36% - 37% dry matter produces good milk. So if you can harvest quality and do not need corn that is too dry, you will ensile quality. And that quality is what it's all about. Due to the current moist soils, the corn usually still looks fresh green, but the cob continues to grow. I often see that growers start looking a little too late, and then of course the contractor still has to be scheduled.
With these high day and night temperatures, the dry matter content can increase by as much as 1% per day. So: keep a close eye on your plots and call in the contractor in time.
Want to know more? Feel free to ask us or come to your trader's corn demo.
