The harvesting of maize silage crops has begun in many parts of the country in recent days.
Maize is used by many winter milking or autumn-calving farms to improve cow production and maintain cow condition.
Feeding cows maize silage can increase dry matter intakes (DMI), when compared to cows on grass silage only.
This extra DMI means that cows have a higher energy intake, which should lead to an improved performance.
But in previous years the challenge has often been getting the crop out of the field and into the pit.
Harvesting
In general, ground condition remains quite good in the majority of areas, which should make the harvesting of maize crops that little bit easier.
Once you have determined that the crop is at the optimum dry matter (DM) content of 30-33%, you should try and get the crop harvested before the weather turns.
You should target a chopping height of 1.5-2cm and avoid cutting plants too low to the ground.
In previous years the harvesting of maize has been a challenge, with wet conditions making it difficult to harvest the crop.
Maize
To ensure that you have a high-quality feed for your cows, the crop needs to be ensiled in order to allow anaerobic fermentation to take place.
Similar to grass silage, you need to get the crop in the pit, rolled well and covered in as short a period as possible.
The digestibility and starch content of the crop improves with time in the clamp.
Maize can, if required, be fed almost straight away, but where possible a maize crop should be left to ferment for at least one month before feeding.
This is to allow the pH and feed quality of the crop to stabilise.
Once the pit has been opened you should keep the face as tidy as possible to prevent excessive waste.