Two landmark publications came out this last week (7th May), the fist being an article published by NASA on their predictions for global rainfall patterns in the future.The report highlights the correlations between increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and the level of rainfall across all regions of the planet.If you are farming, I thoroughly recommend that you look at this as it is going to determine what and where we grow food, in particular Brazil, Southern Africa, Northern Australia and all countries around the Mediterranean.
The article can be found here:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/may/HQ_13-119_Rainfall_Response.html
The second article of note this week was the report that Carbon Dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere had reached the symbolic figure of 400ppm, the last recorded time this level had been reached previously was 3-5 million years ago. Now on its own, this probably doesn't register to highly on the radar, however a week earlier there was another related article pointing to the fact the increasing CO2 was leading to a more acid Artic Ocean and changing the way ice and currents flow, indeed there are suggestions that polar low pressure systems are becoming more frequent as a result which in turn is causing the erratic flow of the jetstream which in turn is influencing the weather in the northern hemisphere.
This article can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22486153 whilst the article on polar lows is here: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/linking_weird_weather_to_rapid_warming_of_the_arctic/2501/
It seems that as farmers, we are going to be trying to produce food in ever changing and more erratic weather patterns as time goes on, which is going to make an event like 2012 more likely in future. In which case, we need to become better adapted to producing food in these scenarios, as the current financial risk vs reward ratio is unsustainable in its current guise of large corporates profiteering excessively in relation to the primary producers.
Showing posts with label Holistic management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holistic management. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Playing Russian Roulette
For a fortunate few, Harvest 2012 is drawing to a protracted and very difficult close, certainly this is a year that we aren't going to forget in a hurry!
It has been a revelation this year, a 'shake out' year as one of our breeders described it, as some serious issues that potentially threaten wheat breeding program's are starting to emerge with some very serious consequences for UK farming.
In the past some breeding program's have focused on genetic resistance to regular disease pressures, septoria tritici being the main one, with other traits being bolted on. Some other breeders have been focusing on all out yield, regardless of how genetically strong these varieties were, their consensus being that disease risk could be managed by chemistry tailored to curb disease outbreaks. Barn filling varieties with poor to average disease traits proliferated as farmers bought into the idea that chemistry could solve all disease problems. As with anything in nature, disease pressures and mutations give rise to new challenges. Single gene resistance to disease instead of dual, or multiple gene resistance is easier to breed into new varieties and allows quick turn around from lab to field. As a consequence we are now seeing multiple incidences of varieties succumbing to Yellow Rust and Brown Rust strains that are evolving, varieties that have only just been registered on the HGCA recommended lists, with the resultant increase in usage of full blown ag-chem programs to try and control these issues.
Throw into this mix one of the wettest growing seasons, especially from pre flowering all the way to harvest with low solar energy levels, high humidity and very damp soil conditions and you have a perfect storm scenario for a whole host of new diseases to make their presence felt too, especially Fusarium which has quite literally sucked all yield out of wheats this year, apart from those like Istabraq that has not suffered as much and is still producing a reasonable sample.
A common theme I am hearing on farm is a new level of questioning with regard to ag-chem inputs, how expensive this last season has been to get a crop that basically isn't near covering costs. It's is interesting to note how some of these chemistry suppliers have gone from small scale operations to giants in the industry in a very short period of time, considering how long the 'green revolution' in agriculture has been going on for. In a very short time span, farmers have seen their supply base of agricultural chemicals diminish considerably down to just a handful of players in the market, with the agronomy angle reduced even further and geared almost exclusively to structured spray programs. In a wet year like this last one, total reliance on sprays to control disease has been severely tested and the basic fundamentals of genetic resistance and a variety's ability to cope under stress have been fully on display. Some have coped and a lot have not.
Soil science, I would say is one of the most important factors governing yield, has been largely forgotten, farmers have devolved responsibility in many areas to their ag-chem supplier and crop walkers who supposedly are more knowledgeable in maximising yields and thus returns on their behalf. The knowledge gap on farm has been further diminished as a result of squeezed margins in the 'naughties' that lead to farmers farming more acres with less personnel and thus being more time restricted to chase knowledge in this regard. Universities and Agricultural Colleges too reduced the soil science input and concentrated more on the chemistry and machinery aspects of tillage, horsepower and technology as soil science generally was considered boring by most students. How many modern day farmers really understand and know what is going on in their soils?
A common theme I hear on farm is this; "why is it that with all your new fancy varieties you are breeding I am still only getting the yields we were getting 10 years ago"? Well, this time I heard an answer that came from a soil specialist company that has been growing a database on soils across the UK for the last 10 plus years and what he said was scary. The basis of it is this, pure arable farmers have been depleting the soil organic matter for so long with simple cereal and rape rotations that in some areas these levels are so low as to be irreplaceable, the soils have had all the life sucked out of them and as a result they physically are unable to provide the growing crops with the nutrients to attain their genetic potential.
It really has been noticeable in fields this year, those with good organic matter, good structure, good nutrient status have still delivered a reasonable yield and machinery has still been able to travel at critical times without leaving 3ft deep ruts. A farmer I know in Wiltshire has been chopping his straw for 10 years now, been applying copious amounts of compost and maintaining his lime and nutrient status with almost religious zeal. On very heavy clay over chalk, he has managed to keep going during harvest when his neighbours were getting stuck, his fields have a natural 'sponginess' to them as you walk them with very few areas of standing water in any of them, whilst neighbours have had 6" across whole fields of standing water for long periods of time. When you look where the combine has been traveling, there are no deep ruts, look over the hedge and it looks like a battlefield.
The genetic potential of some of the older wheat varieties like Einstein is well in excess of 25t/ha, we know from data attained in New Zealand these varieties are currently doing 18t/ha on farm in places consistently where the fertility of the soils has been maintained and the soils well managed in terms of rotation, organic manure levels, trace element replacement and most importantly, soil structure. These farmers have good rotations with break crops designed to replace organic matter and recharge the soil nutrient levels, instead of relying on stuff out of a bag. UK farmers in the main have not been doing this and yield increases have largely flatlined.
We need a radicle rethink in how we manage crop rotations, increase soil organic matter levels, improve soil structure and rejuvinate trace element levels. We need to sometimes stop and think; the soils we are farming are the product of millions of years in the making, yet with our modern cropping methods we are depleting their ability to produce the very food that our growing populations will need in the future.
How are the future generations of young farmers going to produce a decent crop that provides an economic return if the very medium needed to grow it is barren? Those who think GM will gallantly ride to the rescue are sadly going to be disappointed because the focus in GM at present is geared towards mainly chemistry, rather than soils.
The last 5 years have in the main been benign to cereal varieties, yes there has been pressure from disease, but the weaker ones were still able to deliver a credible yield with a lot of ag-chem help. This year we hit chamber six and it has blown a huge hole in many a bottom line Lets hope this year the HGCA clamps down on low disease threshold varieties whose presence on the list now is very questionable and we move away from 'spray and weigh' varieties.
It has been a revelation this year, a 'shake out' year as one of our breeders described it, as some serious issues that potentially threaten wheat breeding program's are starting to emerge with some very serious consequences for UK farming.
In the past some breeding program's have focused on genetic resistance to regular disease pressures, septoria tritici being the main one, with other traits being bolted on. Some other breeders have been focusing on all out yield, regardless of how genetically strong these varieties were, their consensus being that disease risk could be managed by chemistry tailored to curb disease outbreaks. Barn filling varieties with poor to average disease traits proliferated as farmers bought into the idea that chemistry could solve all disease problems. As with anything in nature, disease pressures and mutations give rise to new challenges. Single gene resistance to disease instead of dual, or multiple gene resistance is easier to breed into new varieties and allows quick turn around from lab to field. As a consequence we are now seeing multiple incidences of varieties succumbing to Yellow Rust and Brown Rust strains that are evolving, varieties that have only just been registered on the HGCA recommended lists, with the resultant increase in usage of full blown ag-chem programs to try and control these issues.
Throw into this mix one of the wettest growing seasons, especially from pre flowering all the way to harvest with low solar energy levels, high humidity and very damp soil conditions and you have a perfect storm scenario for a whole host of new diseases to make their presence felt too, especially Fusarium which has quite literally sucked all yield out of wheats this year, apart from those like Istabraq that has not suffered as much and is still producing a reasonable sample.
A common theme I am hearing on farm is a new level of questioning with regard to ag-chem inputs, how expensive this last season has been to get a crop that basically isn't near covering costs. It's is interesting to note how some of these chemistry suppliers have gone from small scale operations to giants in the industry in a very short period of time, considering how long the 'green revolution' in agriculture has been going on for. In a very short time span, farmers have seen their supply base of agricultural chemicals diminish considerably down to just a handful of players in the market, with the agronomy angle reduced even further and geared almost exclusively to structured spray programs. In a wet year like this last one, total reliance on sprays to control disease has been severely tested and the basic fundamentals of genetic resistance and a variety's ability to cope under stress have been fully on display. Some have coped and a lot have not.
Soil science, I would say is one of the most important factors governing yield, has been largely forgotten, farmers have devolved responsibility in many areas to their ag-chem supplier and crop walkers who supposedly are more knowledgeable in maximising yields and thus returns on their behalf. The knowledge gap on farm has been further diminished as a result of squeezed margins in the 'naughties' that lead to farmers farming more acres with less personnel and thus being more time restricted to chase knowledge in this regard. Universities and Agricultural Colleges too reduced the soil science input and concentrated more on the chemistry and machinery aspects of tillage, horsepower and technology as soil science generally was considered boring by most students. How many modern day farmers really understand and know what is going on in their soils?
A common theme I hear on farm is this; "why is it that with all your new fancy varieties you are breeding I am still only getting the yields we were getting 10 years ago"? Well, this time I heard an answer that came from a soil specialist company that has been growing a database on soils across the UK for the last 10 plus years and what he said was scary. The basis of it is this, pure arable farmers have been depleting the soil organic matter for so long with simple cereal and rape rotations that in some areas these levels are so low as to be irreplaceable, the soils have had all the life sucked out of them and as a result they physically are unable to provide the growing crops with the nutrients to attain their genetic potential.
It really has been noticeable in fields this year, those with good organic matter, good structure, good nutrient status have still delivered a reasonable yield and machinery has still been able to travel at critical times without leaving 3ft deep ruts. A farmer I know in Wiltshire has been chopping his straw for 10 years now, been applying copious amounts of compost and maintaining his lime and nutrient status with almost religious zeal. On very heavy clay over chalk, he has managed to keep going during harvest when his neighbours were getting stuck, his fields have a natural 'sponginess' to them as you walk them with very few areas of standing water in any of them, whilst neighbours have had 6" across whole fields of standing water for long periods of time. When you look where the combine has been traveling, there are no deep ruts, look over the hedge and it looks like a battlefield.
The genetic potential of some of the older wheat varieties like Einstein is well in excess of 25t/ha, we know from data attained in New Zealand these varieties are currently doing 18t/ha on farm in places consistently where the fertility of the soils has been maintained and the soils well managed in terms of rotation, organic manure levels, trace element replacement and most importantly, soil structure. These farmers have good rotations with break crops designed to replace organic matter and recharge the soil nutrient levels, instead of relying on stuff out of a bag. UK farmers in the main have not been doing this and yield increases have largely flatlined.
We need a radicle rethink in how we manage crop rotations, increase soil organic matter levels, improve soil structure and rejuvinate trace element levels. We need to sometimes stop and think; the soils we are farming are the product of millions of years in the making, yet with our modern cropping methods we are depleting their ability to produce the very food that our growing populations will need in the future.
How are the future generations of young farmers going to produce a decent crop that provides an economic return if the very medium needed to grow it is barren? Those who think GM will gallantly ride to the rescue are sadly going to be disappointed because the focus in GM at present is geared towards mainly chemistry, rather than soils.
The last 5 years have in the main been benign to cereal varieties, yes there has been pressure from disease, but the weaker ones were still able to deliver a credible yield with a lot of ag-chem help. This year we hit chamber six and it has blown a huge hole in many a bottom line Lets hope this year the HGCA clamps down on low disease threshold varieties whose presence on the list now is very questionable and we move away from 'spray and weigh' varieties.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Farmers Guardian article December 2011
Taking a 'holistic' approach to dairy management is allowing better returns to be made.
Growing a specialist variety of grain maize , as well as lucerne and grass and managing it according to specific advice from leading forage experts Nickerson Direct has resulted in North Cornwall farmers Michael and Anthony Grills being able to consolidate and expand their dairy enterprise even in the face of price adversity.
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 consistently good results from forage maize and variability in the clamp made correct rationing difficult. Typical butterfat levels struggled to get to 4% on the wheat and barley mix as a starch source along with forage maize, which when on a cheese contract is costly.
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 3.98% to a maximum of 4.54% during the winter and never dropping below 4.2% the following summer, while protein remained at 3.18-3.21% throughout. The resulting increase in the quality of the milk, all of it contracted to Dairy Crest for cheese production, netted the Grills a 1p/litre quality premium worth £25,000 per year.
It was so successful that in 2010 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 with harvest completed by 17th October and averaging a respectable 4.5 -5 t/ac in yield.
This year, the area was increased further, with a number of fields being 3rd year grain maize. 2011 started off far drier than 2010, with the crop being planted on the 14th and 15th April in ideal conditions. What was startling though on the light ground was how much moisture had been retained by the 2 previous years mulched stalks, allowing easy seed bed preparation and perfect planting conditions giving a very even plant establishment, something others struggled with this year. Herbicide applications also worked well. Even with the extremes of weather this year, first hot and dry, then cold and dry, followed by cool windy and wet conditions from 15th June onwards, the crop looked good.
By the 11th October the crop was ready to harvest, even after the poor growing conditions this year, with contractor Phil Strout combining 4 - 5 tonnes per acre (at 30-34% 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. The fact that Lorado dries down quickly, right to the base of the kernel, 'enables us to put it through the crimper efficiently, producing a gritty flour type product, even though we are adding water with the acid type preservative, which as a result has increased surface area allowing easy digestion in the cows' gut. We're also getting better protein values from the maize as a result of using this method. In doing so we are reducing the overall acid loading on the cows digestive system, which with good quality grass silage is making a noticeable difference'.
After appraising and careful consideration with Simon, a trial field of Lucerne was planted in one of the drier fields 'to see what happens'. Simon's past experience of growing Lucerne in Zimbabwe helped in getting a fantastic establishment in difficult dry conditions. The first cut was made mid July, being left to wilt for 4 days with one turning with an old Vicon Acrobat doing the job very well without losing the leaf, before row up and baling. The Lucerne was chopped as being baled, resulting in very dense, tightly packed bales which had an additional layer of plastic to stop any 'porcupine effect'. The resultant forage has surpassed expectations. The second cut in early September was done the same way and has analysed equally well, yielding similarly at 8 600kg bales per acre. Next year, four cuts should be easily achievable.
Sowing Lucerne near Bude, 15th April 2011
Establishment is everything with lucerne.
Cutting and wilting properly, without loosing the leaves is critical
The inclusion of 1.5 kg per cow of Lucerne in the diet has raised protein levels from 3.18 to 3.35%. It has also allowed the removal 0.25kg per cow of soya from the ration, saving over £900/month in bought in soya cost. It has also helped boost butterfat levels which are now up to 4.64% in cows producing 10,000 litres of milk. The milk from forage figure is now standing at 4500 litres, from grazed grass and grass silage only, as the grain maize is treated as a concentrate.
What is noticeable too is how cow health is improving. Cows are very 'on the go'; alert, but contented and relaxed looking when you study them, they do not look tired and lethargic. They are showing better bulling signs and better holding post AI. As a result the cull cow numbers have reduced, calving index is improving, there is now a surplus of heifers being reared which is providing another good revenue stream to the business.
Soil management has also been appraised, some time ago soil conditioning fertilisers became part of the crop fertilising regime, recently the inclusion of 'bugs' into the slurry towers is enhancing nitrogen values by 18-20% with silage ground staying green after cutting, rather than the usual browning off period whilst swards recover. This has lead to a reduction in bought in Nitrogen fertiliser use over the whole farm, particularly in the grain maize fields, the flora and fauna levels in the soils as a result is improving along with soil structure.
The combination of crimped maize and Lucerne in the diet has added an additional 1.5p quality premium to their milk price, which is making the business far more viable. It is also providing the basis for a more balanced diet, with good quality grass silage under pinning it. 'Most importantly, the growing of grain maize at £70 per ton in the clamp, the improved milk price as a result of better quality milk, the savings from inclusion of Lucerne into the diet has stabilised the farm business, on the borrowings side and the new bank protocols, our business is more sound and is allowing us to push forward and further invest in our enterprise.
As Simon has said before, "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 crimped grain is 65%-75% Dry Matter, 12-13 ME, 9-11% crude protein and 60%-70% starch. What makes Lorado so good is that it typically has a protein value of 12.7%, much more than other varieties and this does make a big difference in the ration".
“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.What growers don't always appreciate is that dry-down gets slower the later the crop gets into October, particularly when you start getting into November, whilst the ground and conditions typically are getting wetter! It sounds obvious, but I am seeing combines running down in the southwest in late November by which time white moulds, fusarium and cob rot are starting to really take hold. The whole idea should be to harvest as pure a form of starch as possible, yet by planting later maturing varieties, even under plastic, the resultant contamination risks are hugely increased, negating the advantages of inclusion in the diet. We are harvesting Lorado at Bude before most of the forage varieties are harvested, which gives some idea of just how early to mature it is".
“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”.
Growing a specialist variety of grain maize , as well as lucerne and grass and managing it according to specific advice from leading forage experts Nickerson Direct has resulted in North Cornwall farmers Michael and Anthony Grills being able to consolidate and expand their dairy enterprise even in the face of price adversity.
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 consistently good results from forage maize and variability in the clamp made correct rationing difficult. Typical butterfat levels struggled to get to 4% on the wheat and barley mix as a starch source along with forage maize, which when on a cheese contract is costly.
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 3.98% to a maximum of 4.54% during the winter and never dropping below 4.2% the following summer, while protein remained at 3.18-3.21% throughout. The resulting increase in the quality of the milk, all of it contracted to Dairy Crest for cheese production, netted the Grills a 1p/litre quality premium worth £25,000 per year.
It was so successful that in 2010 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 with harvest completed by 17th October and averaging a respectable 4.5 -5 t/ac in yield.
This year, the area was increased further, with a number of fields being 3rd year grain maize. 2011 started off far drier than 2010, with the crop being planted on the 14th and 15th April in ideal conditions. What was startling though on the light ground was how much moisture had been retained by the 2 previous years mulched stalks, allowing easy seed bed preparation and perfect planting conditions giving a very even plant establishment, something others struggled with this year. Herbicide applications also worked well. Even with the extremes of weather this year, first hot and dry, then cold and dry, followed by cool windy and wet conditions from 15th June onwards, the crop looked good.
By the 11th October the crop was ready to harvest, even after the poor growing conditions this year, with contractor Phil Strout combining 4 - 5 tonnes per acre (at 30-34% 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. The fact that Lorado dries down quickly, right to the base of the kernel, 'enables us to put it through the crimper efficiently, producing a gritty flour type product, even though we are adding water with the acid type preservative, which as a result has increased surface area allowing easy digestion in the cows' gut. We're also getting better protein values from the maize as a result of using this method. In doing so we are reducing the overall acid loading on the cows digestive system, which with good quality grass silage is making a noticeable difference'.
After appraising and careful consideration with Simon, a trial field of Lucerne was planted in one of the drier fields 'to see what happens'. Simon's past experience of growing Lucerne in Zimbabwe helped in getting a fantastic establishment in difficult dry conditions. The first cut was made mid July, being left to wilt for 4 days with one turning with an old Vicon Acrobat doing the job very well without losing the leaf, before row up and baling. The Lucerne was chopped as being baled, resulting in very dense, tightly packed bales which had an additional layer of plastic to stop any 'porcupine effect'. The resultant forage has surpassed expectations. The second cut in early September was done the same way and has analysed equally well, yielding similarly at 8 600kg bales per acre. Next year, four cuts should be easily achievable.
The inclusion of 1.5 kg per cow of Lucerne in the diet has raised protein levels from 3.18 to 3.35%. It has also allowed the removal 0.25kg per cow of soya from the ration, saving over £900/month in bought in soya cost. It has also helped boost butterfat levels which are now up to 4.64% in cows producing 10,000 litres of milk. The milk from forage figure is now standing at 4500 litres, from grazed grass and grass silage only, as the grain maize is treated as a concentrate.
What is noticeable too is how cow health is improving. Cows are very 'on the go'; alert, but contented and relaxed looking when you study them, they do not look tired and lethargic. They are showing better bulling signs and better holding post AI. As a result the cull cow numbers have reduced, calving index is improving, there is now a surplus of heifers being reared which is providing another good revenue stream to the business.
Soil management has also been appraised, some time ago soil conditioning fertilisers became part of the crop fertilising regime, recently the inclusion of 'bugs' into the slurry towers is enhancing nitrogen values by 18-20% with silage ground staying green after cutting, rather than the usual browning off period whilst swards recover. This has lead to a reduction in bought in Nitrogen fertiliser use over the whole farm, particularly in the grain maize fields, the flora and fauna levels in the soils as a result is improving along with soil structure.
The combination of crimped maize and Lucerne in the diet has added an additional 1.5p quality premium to their milk price, which is making the business far more viable. It is also providing the basis for a more balanced diet, with good quality grass silage under pinning it. 'Most importantly, the growing of grain maize at £70 per ton in the clamp, the improved milk price as a result of better quality milk, the savings from inclusion of Lucerne into the diet has stabilised the farm business, on the borrowings side and the new bank protocols, our business is more sound and is allowing us to push forward and further invest in our enterprise.
As Simon has said before, "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 crimped grain is 65%-75% Dry Matter, 12-13 ME, 9-11% crude protein and 60%-70% starch. What makes Lorado so good is that it typically has a protein value of 12.7%, much more than other varieties and this does make a big difference in the ration".
“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.What growers don't always appreciate is that dry-down gets slower the later the crop gets into October, particularly when you start getting into November, whilst the ground and conditions typically are getting wetter! It sounds obvious, but I am seeing combines running down in the southwest in late November by which time white moulds, fusarium and cob rot are starting to really take hold. The whole idea should be to harvest as pure a form of starch as possible, yet by planting later maturing varieties, even under plastic, the resultant contamination risks are hugely increased, negating the advantages of inclusion in the diet. We are harvesting Lorado at Bude before most of the forage varieties are harvested, which gives some idea of just how early to mature it is".
“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”.
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