Grain maize questions

Just thinking aloud here..

Getting on for spring barley,maybe better off with something else.
Thinking a couple of ton of grain maize off the 10a might be better.
Would be all fed in house to beef.

Can sow it with the combi,
Have small conventional combine header to cut it(if it will do it)
What sort of date does it come fit to cut?
Can you glypho a crop to ripen it?

Storage-
Can it be propcorned?
Thinking I could store it in ton bags as not set up for it.

Feeding
Thinking a few 00 kgs rolled into the barley and fed to the beasts

Like I said, just ideas at the moment 🤷‍♂️
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
we crimped 15 acres a few years back, when we had a massive yield on the rest.

simple to do, but important to cut at the correct stage.

basically rocket fuel, cows milked well on it.

we crimp wheat now, which is a great feed,

if we did maize again, the only thing l would change, is l wouldn't chop the straw/stems, and bale it for bedding, used a lot in the states, looks good stuff.
 
Just cut it and crimp it into the pit. Very very good feed, absolute rocket fuel.

You don't need to combine it or even try to combine it. Just get a man with a forager in and use a picker header on that. Whip through corn cracker and ensile as normal and put a sheet over the top. I guess you could propcorn it but given the grain will likely be 20% moisture crimping would make more sense.

Later harvest is a given but a less scary proposition if cut with a forager.

Crimped also means less dust and it's gentler on the rumen, too. Don't be surprised mind if the stuff analyses at 50% starch!
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Bro does some for his boss in Cheshire, they have a corn head for the combine and do a bit for a few others.
Not really sure what they do then, think he said they put it through a forager with the mill in, but not sure how it works, could find out.
Later harvest than chopping obviously but the right combine will make a hell of a lot less mess than a forager with a trailer alongside.
 
Bro does some for his boss in Cheshire, they have a corn head for the combine and do a bit for a few others.
Not really sure what they do then, think he said they put it through a forager with the mill in, but not sure how it works, could find out.
Later harvest than chopping obviously but the right combine will make a hell of a lot less mess than a forager with a trailer alongside.
Sounds like ground ear maize
 
Just cut it and crimp it into the pit. Very very good feed, absolute rocket fuel.

You don't need to combine it or even try to combine it. Just get a man with a forager in and use a picker header on that. Whip through corn cracker and ensile as normal and put a sheet over the top. I guess you could propcorn it but given the grain will likely be 20% moisture crimping would make more sense.

Later harvest is a given but a less scary proposition if cut with a forager.

Crimped also means less dust and it's gentler on the rumen, too. Don't be surprised mind if the stuff analyses at 50% starch!
Not really got the room to pit it separately, hence proped and bagged🤷‍♂️
 

Chris W

Member
Arable Farmer
Most grain maize regions tend to run primarily rotaries. How would a straw walker machine cope with grain maize ?
 

Spencer

Member
Location
North West
Just thinking aloud here..

Getting on for spring barley,maybe better off with something else.
Thinking a couple of ton of grain maize off the 10a might be better.
Would be all fed in house to beef.

Can sow it with the combi,
Have small conventional combine header to cut it(if it will do it)
What sort of date does it come fit to cut?
Can you glypho a crop to ripen it?

Storage-
Can it be propcorned?
Thinking I could store it in ton bags as not set up for it.

Feeding
Thinking a few 00 kgs rolled into the barley and fed to the beasts

Like I said, just ideas at the moment 🤷‍♂️
Don’t think a little old header will cut it unless it’s a short poor crop. You’d struggle to RU it unless it was a short poor crop.
I wouldn’t bother, it’s only April 2nd not late for SB.
Thinking about it you asked the question yesterday…….. good one
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
we crimped 15 acres a few years back, when we had a massive yield on the rest.

simple to do, but important to cut at the correct stage.

basically rocket fuel, cows milked well on it.

we crimp wheat now, which is a great feed,

if we did maize again, the only thing l would change, is l wouldn't chop the straw/stems, and bale it for bedding, used a lot in the states, looks good stuff.

Hi Som. Thanks for your experiences. Noted the comment about baling straw - would it be dry enough that time of year to bale - am assuming November harvest? Your thoughts be interested. Thanks.
 
Don’t think a little old header will cut it unless it’s a short poor crop. You’d struggle to RU it unless it was a short poor crop.
I wouldn’t bother, it’s only April 2nd not late for SB.
Thinking about it you asked the question yesterday…….. good one
Straight up I been thinking about something different to feed the beasts ,don't have room for a maize pit so hence the question
Last year spring barley sowed 20th April was nothing more than a waste of time.
I have a combi and I have a small combine so just wondering 🤷‍♂️
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Hi Som. Thanks for your experiences. Noted the comment about baling straw - would it be dry enough that time of year to bale - am assuming November harvest? Your thoughts be interested. Thanks.
we just organised a contractor to do the whole job, combine, we ran the grain trailer, his chap in the yard, feeding the roller mill, and stacking it in a pit. Used a specific additive applied through the roller.

we just presumed that chopping the straw was 'normal', seeing it baled on u'tube, it would make some semi decent straw. Would it be dry enough to bale in the UK 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️ you won't know, till we try some !!

chap that 'did' ours, grows some to sell as crimp maize. Certainly an easy job to do, and cheaper than silage maize, but you don't get the bulk. Cost wise, 🤷‍♂️ it was all done on complicated swap basis, for something else ! Reckon the grain yield was 4 tonnish acre.

wheat is off early, so gives you time to work the ground, maize is later, and weather is a risk.

Kelvin Cave is the 'expert' on crimp, for information, down here, but for additive, cheaper elsewhere.

having seen @le bon paysan post, rats don't go for it, unlike w/crop.
 

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