Maize 2022

[vantage]

had 5 years of growing wholecrop wheat and other than the benefits of getting grass seeds in don’t think it justifies the high foraging costs compared to the DM/ME produced.

We had wholecrop wheat for 5 years too, only any good for dry cows IMO. Every trial shows milkers eat more, but produce no more. Combining it as crimp, is a good option.

 

[som farmer]

Som farmer states above not to rate it by height, do you disagree?

If you are short of quantity, you want height
if you have quantity, you need quality

but the general point was you used to get very tall maize, with one cob, you now get shorter maize, but multi cobbed.

 

[som farmer]

Does anyone always budget on getting grass seeds in after maize? What do you do to maximise your chances of doing it? What do you do if you fail to due to late maize/crap weather?

we have double cropped maize, with h/rye, very successfully, but timing is a barsteward, IRG is an easier option, and seed can be cheap.
we have decided on a simple rotation
w/wheat following maize, IRG after the wheat, for 1 year, looking for several cuts, and hopefully 1 pre maize, the following spring.

this autumn post maize, we dd the winter wheat, straight into the maize stubble, worked amazingly well, ring rolled in, and the maize stalks are flat.

 

[som farmer]

We had wholecrop wheat for 5 years too, only any good for dry cows IMO. Every trial shows milkers eat more, but produce no more. Combining it as crimp, is a good option.

we combined our wheat, 4.2 t/ac, now rolling it, to feed the cows, 100 ton heap of wheat, replaces 100 t of bought conc, wheat is £270, conc is £400ish, plus the straw.
and if weather iffy, crimped.
We w/cropped hybrid rye one year, it was about 4/5 foot high, trouble was, the straw to grain ratio, was rather too large ! But definitely brilliant dry cow ration.

 

[crashbox]

If you are short of quantity, you want height
if you have quantity, you need quality

but the general point was you used to get very tall maize, with one cob, you now get shorter maize, but multi cobbed.

What variety did you go for this year?

Ours had a real struggle, av. 10t/acre fresh, small cobs, and that was with everything "right" (cover crop beforehand, fym and slurry applied, min-till cultivation, good sowing depth, great germination, excellent weed control)...

 

[som farmer]

What variety did you go for this year?

Ours had a real struggle, av. 10t/acre fresh, small cobs, and that was with everything "right" (cover crop beforehand, fym and slurry applied, min-till cultivation, good sowing depth, great germination, excellent weed control)...

we use a polish variety, bought through Graham Ragg, MVF, seed specialist. I wouldn't have a clue what variety, or even spell it !
But will see if l can find an empty bag.

As said before, we tend to get better results by drilling later, my opinion is, the polish varieties need a shorter growing season, and are more 'vigorous', and by planting in warm soils, they really ramp up growth speed.

Certainly, so far, 4 yrs, we are getting very good yields, by sowing later, allowing us to get 1, or might even be 2 cuts, of IRG or W/Wolds before drilling. This is after growing h/rye between maize. That is simply too tight on timing. I do know, july 1st, is too late, our contractor planted some after rye, for a digestor ! He will try our polish variety next year.

Why, we get the decent crops, l think is a mix of reasons. We are growing it on our best soils, with plenty of shite. The ground is cut, covered, and worked, very quickly, so hasn't had a chance to 'dry out', the slurry will give some moisture, as will the soil, then the vigorous growth rate, allows it to get its roots down, and it flies.

Just as easily, could be sheer luck, and it won't work next year. But for us, ground cover seems to be one of the important things, not only with maize, but corn, and forage rape.
Even 1st cut was a large, good crop, going rapidly downhill, from there, when the ground was 'open'. Perhaps ground cover, is the main point, as l have said before, being quite exposed, it's hot wind that finishes us off, anything with cover, keeps going
The explosion of grass growth now, shows that, l think, quite clearly, it can only be moisture holding it back.

 

[Andyrob]

this time outside Limavady

Purcell Farms

 

[ollie989898]

Say what you like about wholecrop but it is a good crop to grow, filled with starch and can be used to clean land up easily- killing the usual grassland weeds in wheat is a joke. It is also harvested and drilled at a far handier time of year.

It's a rumen friendly way of putting starch into the diet.

 

[som farmer]

Say what you like about wholecrop but it is a good crop to grow, filled with starch and can be used to clean land up easily- killing the usual grassland weeds in wheat is a joke. It is also harvested and drilled at a far handier time of year.

It's a rumen friendly way of putting starch into the diet.

crimped wheat is brilliant stuff, plus you get the straw.

it is a good crop to clean up, we grow maize, winter wheat back to grass for 1 season, then maize. Everything follows nicely, one cut, before maize

one of your ex colleagues at P Seeds, had only seen 2 other fields come near it for yield, both on the levels. Contractor put it at 16/17ton acre, analysis above.
not bad for being drilled 24 may, after w/wolds

and wheat d/d straight in behind with our vadeerstat, all up in line. Soil was bone dry underneath, crop was quite green, but cobs at ideal stage.

 

[Wesley]

Say what you like about wholecrop but it is a good crop to grow, filled with starch and can be used to clean land up easily- killing the usual grassland weeds in wheat is a joke. It is also harvested and drilled at a far handier time of year.

It's a rumen friendly way of putting starch into the diet.

Never seen cows milk off straw yet...I’ll just sit back now

 

[More to life]

Never seen cows milk off straw yet...I’ll just sit back now

I used to say that but the highest yielding herd I know feeds loads of it.

 

[som farmer]

Never seen cows milk off straw yet...I’ll just sit back now

now be fair, it's ideal dry cow food.
otherwise, tend to agree, unless you cut mostly ears, and leave the straw.
we grew h/rye, and left 1 piece for w/crop, 4 ft of stem, then the ear, it wasn't very exciting stuff, cows liked it though.

 

[FarmerWasty]

Could never get wheat wholecrop to work for us. Lots of displaced abomasums. Seen more success on barley wholecrop. Especially for the dry cows. Milking herd get 8-9kg a head of it. Pretty left field as we feed oats instead of wheat anyways. Just something about our herd and wheat that doesn't work.

 

[ollie989898]

Never seen cows milk off straw yet...I’ll just sit back now

You can get a lot of milk out of cows by feeding a shed load of ERDP. Not the name of the game these days- more looking for herd health. Shed loads of starch in good wholecrop.

 

[ollie989898]

crimped wheat is brilliant stuff, plus you get the straw.

it is a good crop to clean up, we grow maize, winter wheat back to grass for 1 season, then maize. Everything follows nicely, one cut, before maizeView attachment 1071785
one of your ex colleagues at P Seeds, had only seen 2 other fields come near it for yield, both on the levels. Contractor put it at 16/17ton acre, analysis above.
not bad for being drilled 24 may, after w/woldsView attachment 1071788View attachment 1071789
and wheat d/d straight in behind with our vadeerstat, all up in line. Soil was bone dry underneath, crop was quite green, but cobs at ideal stage.

You're about 10% too wet with that maize. pH will be through the floor. Sting your wallet and the cow's arshes.

 

[farmboy]

had the analysis back for this years maize

 

[Wesley]

You're about 10% too wet with that maize. pH will be through the floor. Sting your wallet and the cow's arshes.

Can’t think of anything worse than feeding low DM maize. Its why owing to the fact we grow maize on ground that would be considered almost too high up to grow it that we won’t entertain trying to get a cut of something before the maize goes in. A good crop of maize is far more valuable to us than a small heap of grass & some wet, acidic maize.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

You're about 10% too wet with that maize. pH will be through the floor. Sting your wallet and the cow's arshes.

It’ll go butyric no doubt.

 

[som farmer]

You're about 10% too wet with that maize. pH will be through the floor. Sting your wallet and the cow's arshes.

we shall see.

 

[DairyGrazing]

Cover crop 2022, inter row sown grass. It’s not bad considering the year we’ve had. Poor canopy probably helped it by letting more light/rain through. I will try a grass, radish, clover mix next year

Used a contractor with a vaddy to drill a fair acreage with all the junk seed we’ve left lying around cereal rye, vetch, oats etc. it’s not come up yet.