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Corn challenge winner Tim Ubbels speaks
Roughage tour participant Tim Ubbels from Jelsum in Friesland wins the 2020 maize challenge. He looks back on the growing season and talks about his strategy and experiences.
The maize plot was fertilized with 2 cubic meters of digestate in the 40nd week of March and was subsequently plowed. A week after plowing, it was tilled with the power harrow to prevent clods and to establish a good seedbed. A week before sowing, it was tilled again with the power harrow, to sow the maize seed ''LG22'' on April 31.205. During sowing, the fertilizer ''Maize Map NP 20-20'' was applied. Ubbels is allowed to use this phosphate-rich fertilizer because it is not a derogation company.
Growth
Due to the cold start of the year, it took a while for the maize to get going. This has had no further consequences for the maize plant. The plot grew evenly, there was no bird feeding and it was well sown. "Everything was spot on and when it got warmer you could almost hear the corn growing," Ubbels says. Because the plot participated in the roughage tour, the growth curve is nicely depicted. In week 24, for example, the maize plant still shows a height of 42 centimeters, while 3 weeks later it is already 180 centimeters.
final stage
The maize was harvested on 24 September at a dry matter percentage of 35,2 percent. In the silage this resulted in a dry matter percentage of 37,6 percent with 971 VEM and 351 starch. In order to stabilize the silage as quickly as possible and to minimize losses, it was decided to use an silage agent.
Reviews
''In recent years I have become more aware of the cultivation process, partly because of the participation in the maize challenge. I find it interesting how other participants approach cultivation and which strategy is used. This way I can make a comparison with our cultivation and see if there is room for improvement. It has been a good growing year for us, the maize wants to grow well on the marine clay and after sowing we have little work to do. We do not irrigate and that has been the biggest difference between the participants in the past year. The moisture-supplying capacity of the soil is sufficient and the flasks were nicely filled with a good yield. It almost felt like all we had to do was put in the seed and the rest would come naturally and that's how I like it."
