South West Farmer Press release, for those that don't get this publication.

PRESS RELEASE

Specialist grain maize variety harvested ‘a month early’
25th October 2010

Growing a specialist variety of grain maize and managing it according to specific advice from leading grain maize experts Nickerson Direct has resulted in North Cornwall farmers Michael and Anthony Grills being able to start harvesting an excellent crop of Lorado on 14th October, four weeks earlier than traditional forage maize.

Continuing pressure on the dairy industry has encouraged Michael and Anthony to focus on increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness over the last few years, during which they have expanded their dairy business from 250 to 320 cows, with the eventual aim of reaching 500. They have also implemented major advances in genetics and nutrition, reduced costs, improved attention to detail and increased profitability.

Until 2009, cropping at West Trelay Farm, Marhamchurch included 60-80 acres of forage maize, which was included in the ration at the rate of one part to two parts grass silage. However, the Grills found it difficult to achieve to achieve consistently good results from forage maize and variability in the clamp made correct rationing difficult.

In early 2009, Nickerson Direct Seed Specialist Simon Montgomery suggested that Michael and Anthony include grain maize with the forage maize as an additional energy source to supplement grass silage, its higher energy/starch content significantly improving milking performance and making the ration easier to manage throughout the year.

The initial crop produced an average of 5 tonnes per acre of grain which was put into the clamp for £68/t, making it very cost-effective. The maize fed tremendously well, with average butterfat content increasing from 4.1%-4.2% to a maximum of 4.54% during the winter and never dropping below 4.2% this summer, while protein remained at 3.34%-3.38% throughout. The resulting increase in the quality of the milk, all of it contracted to Dairy Crest for cheese production, netted the Grills a 1.25p/litre quality premium worth £35,000 per year.

It was so successful that this year they substituted the area of forage maize for grain maize, drilling 90 acres of Lorado between 18th and 21st April. The crop established quickly in favourable conditions, grew consistently throughout the season despite being subjected to severe drought stress and in terms of maturity behaved more like a Group 9 than its official NIAB Group 7 rating would suggest.

By the second week of October the crop was 12' high and ready to harvest, contractor Phil Strout combining 4.5-5 tonnes per acre (at 29%-34% moisture) of what Anthony Grills describes as ‘a wonderful product, like gold dust’, although he acknowledges that their location on relatively dry ground in North Cornwall favours the crop.

Simon Montgomery states: “In recent years, livestock farmers looking to increase their range of home-grown concentrates and arable growers looking for a spring-sown cash crop have shown an increasing interest in grain maize.

“Dry grain production requires varieties with rapid dry-down rates, harvested after the leaves have died back and typically followed by the removal of 10%-15% moisture in a dryer, which increases the cost of the final product and is a major factor in steering producers towards moist storage after crimping.

“The high energy content and slow starch degradation characteristics make crimped grain maize an ideal moist concentrate feed for high-performance dairy and beef animals. It is convenient and reliable, ideal for use on farms where maize silage area is limited but where additional starch is required in the diet. Typically, the nutrient analysis for crimpled grain is 65%-75% drymatter, 14.0%-14.5% ME, 8%-9% crude protein and 60%-70% starch.

“Grain maize provides a much more concentrated form of energy than forage maize, which is very important in achieving the correct energy-density in rations, enabling cows to eat more and make more milk. It is also very convenient, allowing livestock farmers to ‘top up’ lower-quality forages and those who buy in straights to purchase the exact tonnage they require, as and when they need it, which benefits cash-flow.

“Many farmers have tried to produce grain maize using conventional forage varieties, but these will only dry down slowly to a minimum of 30% moisture, making the crop difficult to combine in often wet and windy conditions late in November or December. Growing specialist grain maize varieties will make a big difference, but producing a good crop requires a different technique in terms of variety, plant population, nitrogen management and timing.

“It is essential to choose the correct variety. Lorado was bred by Limagrain specifically to perform well in Northern Europe. It is one of the earliest-maturing varieties in the Maize Growers Association trials and under favourable conditions does not require covering with plastic. Despite being the tallest on the NIAB list, it has excellent standing power, good disease resistance, excellent early vigour and good cob tip cover, which eliminates the risk of mould infection from ‘snouting’. Lorado produces excellent yields of high-quality grain, has superb dry-down characteristics and will reach 25% moisture, making it easier to harvest.

“Grain maize crops should be sown as early in April as possible, when soil temperature reaches 8°C, into light, free-draining soils in South-facing fields that warm up quickly during the spring and drain well right through until harvest. Whereas crops grown for crimped maize production typically require a seed rate of 38,000-40,000 seeds/acre, for grain maize production this should be reduced to 36,000-38,000 seeds/acre.

“In addition to its many economic benefits, grain maize also has significant environmental benefits. The defra guidelines indicate that farmers should sow a green cover crop after harvesting forage maize to prevent soil erosion. With grain maize, however, this is not necessary as the stova is chopped and spread, creating a ‘mat’ that allows machinery to travel on the land more easily, greatly reducing soil erosion/run-off, improving soil structure and lowering the export of Phosphate and Potash from the field/farm, a big win-win situation given the current rising cost of fertiliser.”

Videos of the Limagrain trial plots in Cornwall

The videos below show the tremendous amount of work that has gone into producing this trial with over 70 different varieties trialled in three replicated trial blocks to give a real insight into maoize varieties grown in a really less favoured area, namely south of Launceston in the shadow of Bodmin Moor. The majority of the varieties were Limagrain varieties, but a number of competitor varieties were also trialled, with some of these seen in the videos below highlighting some of the weaknesses in some of them.

'Snouting', a symptom found in certain varieties is also shown, with the consequences also explained, as is the issue of premature senescence where varieties die off before cob maturity is reached, which can lead to acidosis and poor quality silage. I hope these are worthwhile, excuse the novice nature of these videos, they are 'as is' with no editing, so what we saw, you see.

Video tour of my Launceston Maize trial plots.

Here it is, there are other clips on my youtube site too, more to follow.

Generally, these trials were very good this year, soil structure improvements carried out early to improve root development, the application of chicken manure as well as getting a good fine tilth all helped with the establishment and early growth which is vital with maize. Sometimes, the importance of leaf area index is forgotten, it is vital with maize and this is where vigour comes in as it is this ability to keep growing in less than ideal situations that means that when peak sunlight and heat units arrive in June and July you want a plant with a big enough leaf area to be able to absorb it all and to grow quickly! Beethoven is a variety that is able to do this.