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Note: early maize harvest expected
In contrast to last year, many maize growers in the Netherlands are heading for an early maize harvest. Some plots, especially in the southern provinces, will be ready for forage in a few weeks. Keep a close eye on ripening so that you can harvest at the optimum dry matter content.
The early sown plots in the south of the Netherlands and on warmer soils, especially the early maize varieties, are often already well developed and maturing. In view of the weather forecast, ripening will proceed smoothly, so that the first plots will already reach the optimum dry matter content of 35 to 37% at the end of August.
This also applies, for example, to this LG 31.206 plot in South Limburg, which is Agrility platform early harvest is predicted. With Agrility's digital cultivation support, you can follow the ripening exactly from behind your screen and you know well in advance when your maize is ripe!
Harvesting maximum nutritional value
Chopping at the optimum time is of great importance for the nutritional value and utilization of your maize. The flask must be fully matured. A drop of moisture may still come out of the grain, but the plant should not be too moist anymore. The total dry matter content is then about 36%.
Harvesting too early or too late means you lose a lot of returns:
- Chopping too early results in a lower starch content, because the grain is not yet fully ripe. This costs you a lot of nutritional value. In addition, there is a risk of sap loss, acidification of the silage and reduced feed intake.
- Chopping too late can lead to a reduced feed intake, loss of feed value due to a lower digestibility and more heating in the silage, because whole dry maize is more difficult to compact.
Determine dry matter content
How do you accurately determine the optimal harvest moment? You can do that via the Corn manager app - in the video I explain it:
Chopping dried corn
Unfortunately, this year we also see plots of maize that have (partially) dried up. If there are cobs in it, harvest this corn as soon as the kernels are ripe. Note: if the leaves above the cob have already died, the cob will barely ripen and you can chop immediately. Pay extra attention to hitting this corn in the pit. Dried cobless maize does not ripen. Chop it as soon as it has grown in dry conditions, the dry matter content is then around 25%. Preferably silage this maize over a low grass silage to collect the juice.
Catch crop or grass after harvest
The early maize harvest provides ample opportunity for sowing a catch crop or grass. If you sow grassland, you can also sow clover in September. Use the Havera clover mix for mowing land, for extra protein in the grass next year. View the Havera grass mixtures >
Also the sowing of grassland herbs can still be fine. Herb-rich grass withstands drought better and contains extra vitamins and minerals.
