MGA MAIZE HARVEST GUIDE 2014Maize Growers Association Harvesting Guide 2014 Contents: Page Number Post harvest management: » Cultivations 2 > Catch crops and autumn cropping 3 > Winter and spring manure applications 4 Dry matter at harvest He 4 Chop length 7. Stubble height H Sire Silage additives 9 The use of salt = 10 Filling the silage pit 10 Sheeting down the pit aaaeat 10 Mycotoxins 11, Corn Cob Mix 11 Grain Maize 12 Maize Guide compiled by MGA teamHarvest 2014 This year’s favourable growing conditions have resulted in maize harvest, be it for livestock or biogas feedstock, creeping up on us. With harvest activity in mind, we have reviewed and updated where necessary, the MGA Maize Harvesting Guide. We make no apologies for starting this year’s guide with Post Harvest Maize Field Management advice, believing that this area of crop agronomy is vitally important if unhindered maize growing is to continue. As always we would encourage growers to make use of Simon and John to talk through specifics of harvest if required. Post Harvest Maize Field Management Harvesting any crop late in the year poses real challenges to soil structure with maize being no exception. Compacted bare stubbles are at risk from winter rainfall runoff or soil erosion. The MGA believe that no maize stubbles should be left bare/uncultivated over the winter. Post Harvest Cultivations — we would urge growers to: + Harvest across the slope/with the contours, where practical to reduce the channelling of destructive water down tractor/harvester tracks. * Identify fields that may be at risk from erosion or soil wash and prioritise the management of these. * Ensure high risk fields and headlands are cultivated or ploughed immediately after harvest when soils are still dry. This encourages infiltration of rain, rather than run off. Cultivating maize stubble to prevent compaction & run-offCover crops and autumn cropping * Catch crops increase the fields annual dry matter yield (up to 20%), reduce soil loss and capture surplus nutrients. Catch crops can be either undersown or after sown. Undersown crops are sown into (under) the growing maize crop during June and early July. Undersown crops achieve thicker ground cover sooner compared to those aftersown. Aftersown catch crops are drilled immediately following (after) maize harvest. Establishment depends on good | soil and weather conditions before the onset of winter. Catch crops are “caught” between two main crops; your priorities must always lie with the main crops. Following maize with a winter crop (Winter Wheat etc) Es instead of a catch crop can overcome this ygize stubble having been undersown in June problem. Do not let catch crop harvest compromise optimum maize drilling date. To encourage establishment aim for a moist, fine seedbed. Clearly though, the finer the seedbed, the more chance the field has of capping, resulting in soil erosion and soil wash. As a tule, the finer seedbeds should be achieved under the dry September conditions, but as drilling dates move later in to the year, seedbeds should become coarser to encourage more water infiltration. Grass catch crops are most common in the UK and can be valuable for early spring grazing, as treading damage is less critical. Danish and German work suggests that fescues and other crops work well also. (see summer 2014 mailings) Winter and Spring Manure Applications * When spreading organic manures including FYM and slurry over the winter be aware of the risk of runoff. * High ‘At risk’ fields, (those with steep slopes, water courses nearby, or sloping towards houses or roads) should be identified and their muck not applied until immediately pre ploughing in the spring.«Lower risk fields can be used for over winter applications. In these circumstances a buffer strip (ideally 24 metres) should be ploughed at the bottom of the field, to ensure that any contaminated run-off is caught before exiting the field. + Where possible incorporate organic manure as you spread. + Remember you should not © Apply organic manure within 10 metres of surface water, except on land managed for breeding wader birds, or as species rich semi-natural grassland and under certain other restrictions. © Apply organic manure within 50 metres of a spring, well or borehole. Dry matter at harvest Crop Target DM% (whole plant) Whole maize for livestock silage 32-35% Whole maize for Biogas feedstock 27-35% When testing for DM, remember that standing crop DM is in fact a combination of stem/leaf, cob and grain DM. Taking into account these differences, both the milk line and microwave tests will allow you to make a very good estimate of the whole crop dry matter content. Alternatively, a sample(s) can be sent to a forage lab, as any other forage would be. Cobs for 10 adjacent plants showing variation within a field * When sampling, take samples from plants from at least 5 places in the field. At each point select a row of ten plants and choose the plant from that row that looks most representative.‘Typical DM% of mi plant parts at different whole plan DM%’s Whole Plant DM 25% 30% 35% Stem & leaves 20-22 | 23-25 | 25-27 Cob 30-35 | 40-45 | 45-50 Grain 40-45 ! 55-60 | 60-65 The Microwave Test: Cut one whole representative plant 6-8 inches from the ground. Chop plant into inch long sections. Cut the cob down its length, before cutting into inch sections. Mix maize thoroughly in a bucket. Tip the contents of the bucket into a microwave safe bowl, weigh and record this pre drying weight. Put the bowl of maize in the microwave. Place a glass of water alongside the maize (to minimize the risk of burning the maize). Heat the maize for 10 minutes. Stir and then repeat. Stir again and then heat for a further 5 minutes. At this point, weigh the sample. Heat the sample for a further 2 minutes and weigh again. Keep going with this 2-minute heat/weigh cycle until the sample stops losing weight. Keep a close eye on the maize as if it dries too much it will start to smolder/burn. Remember that the more mature a crop is, the less time it will need to be heated. The dry matter of the sample is the final weight of the sample expressed as a percentage of the original sample fresh weight. DM % Calculation Final Weight (g) X 100 = DM% of sample Initial Weight (g)Slo > eur HINA jaus0y s | wzguenssey | 828 % Wa WEIS 8g UU} dJ0/\ 8g Gg a fo ueuy $seq fo f payeooiseq Buimoyia, usalg uaal9 uaald 4snH a6e}s yj OU piey pue Asse|6 do} ayy (umoso ‘puey pue Assej6 | sawooaq do} eet WO} MOUS O} a Cit yesjued wi0sy) ures yo yey doy | pue Z/, aul) 411, 7 sui6eq aul] 41, yodsy ules, Asse|6 pue piey yBnop puey AuBnog an Au6nop Ay AMI abeys uleip BpInd joUIssessy JONEW MiG SUN HIPredicting Harvest date « Harvest date can be estimated fairly accurately up to a month in advance, as most crops increase in DM at a rate of approximately 2% per week in the 5 weeks leading up to harvest. For example, a 25% DM crop will be fit to harvest in approximately 3-4 weeks. Assess the maturity (DM%) of your maize now and use dry down rates to predict likely harvest. Let your harvest team know about the window ASAP. Chop length Chop length is generally altered by the speed at which the crop is fed onto the blades, via the header of the forager. The slower the feed in of crop, the shorter the chop length will be. Modern harvesters have the ability to chop the maize at a longer length and still crack the grains. Chop length of maize in the UK varies from 5 mm to 35 mm, (0.25” to almost 1.5”) - both are extreme. Most maize silage for livestock feed is chopped around 12 mm, with a typical longer chop around 18 - 22mm. Maize for biogas feedstock tends to be chopped finely (4-8mm). Discussion on adjusting the forager At 5mm the maize is ‘minced’, grains are damaged. Particle size may be unnecessarily small and its ‘effective’ fibre value is lost in livestock rations. At 25 mm, chop length consolidation in the clamp may be difficult and livestock intakes may suffer. Individual choice of chop length will therefore depend on how maize is being used, and the aerobic stability normally achieved in the clamp. Only move to a longer chop if confident of good consolidation. For high forage feeders or _ where maize silage is a small proportion of the livestock forage, shorter chop lengths _ are more suitable. For high concentrate fed herds with lower forage intakes (10 — 12 kg forage DM intake), longer chop silage will be more advisable, unless other long | a fibre is added. Average chop length of this sample is 20mmBenefits of a short chop length: © Contractors favour a short chop length, as consistency of chop is improved, work rate increases and consolidation of the maize is made easier. © The shorter the chop length, the denser the clamp, the more stable the maize. This may remain an over riding consideration if the dry matter is 35% or above. © Shorter chop lengths provide greater surface areas for biogas bugs to work on. Benefits of a longer chop length: © Chop length has a direct effect on the chewing time of the diet. The longer the fibre, the more the cow chews. The more chewing, the more saliva flows and the greater the amount of bicarbonate to buffer the rumen pH levels. © Where maize makes up more than 50% of the forage in a dairy diet and the diet is high in starch/sugar (25% +), chop length must be considered carefully. Increasing the maize chop length (18 - 22 mm) can reduce/remove the need for additional straw or hay in the diet. © Where maize forms a relatively small part of the forage on offer (< 30% of the dry matter), a shorter chop length (10 mm) is fine — so long as the remaining forage is of an adequate chop length. © Whether long or short chop is required, the chop must be consistent, and there is no place for ‘long leaf" or ‘discs’ to be present. Check the maize as it arrives at the pit. Grain processing Grain (kernel) processing in most harvesters, is a separate operation from chopping the crop. The extent that the grain requires damaging depends on the maturity of the grain. With more maize crops reaching a higher degree of maturity with large, hard kernels, it is essential that processing is adequate. If the kernels are hard, they need to be well crushed or broken in 3-4 pieces. Concerns over the maize starch being too readily available through the fine processing will not be a concern normally. If whole kernels or large pieces of kernels are left, they will not have adequate time for digestion within ruminants and much of the feed value will be lost. Check as each field is harvested that the grains are adequately damaged.Stubble height * The bottom part of the maize plant is low in energy and relatively wet. + Most maize is harvested at 10cm above ground (unless you are very tight for forage). * Cutting above this height will increase silage DM% and quality, but decrease yields of DM/ha, as shown in the table below for maize harvested at approximately 34% DM. aw bat ef Impact of cutting height on maize quality and yield Cutting Height | 13cm | 46cm Yield (t DM/ha) | 15.6 15.0 DM % 33.0 34.7 Starch % 30.9 32.8 Milk yield kg/ha | 25412 | 26210 (UM. Neylon, L Kung (2003) Journal of Dairy Science) Silage additives * Maize ferments well and does not typically require additive to establish a stable fermentation. Main reasons for using additive are :~ © To give better stability and keeping quality of the silage. © Toimprove digestibility, intake and feeding value. Many additives claim to improve aerobic stability — active ingredients include Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus brevis, Sorbic acid, Alliin, certain sterilants. Lactobacillus plantarum (and other lactic acid bacteria) may be used to encourage a more efficient lactic fermentation, but the lactic acid can itself be a substrate for yeast and moulds. Therefore, lactic acid bacteria can be of benefit when combined with L.buchneri / brevis or with a chemical preservative. Some additives claim to enhance the digestibility and intake by reducing the bonding of lignin and increasing carbohydrate availability. If additive use results in cooler and fresher maize silage, then overall energy intake is likely to be enhanced. If you have had aerobic spoilage problems in the past, or anticipate such problems due to clamp design, additives alongside good clamp management will work.Filling the Silage Pit Maize needs to be made quickly, well consolidated and completely sealed to allow anaerobic (without oxygen) fermentation to occur. Ideally one tractor should be rolling the pit continuously, whilst another adding new crop. Fill the clamp in thin layers, using a shallow rather than steep wedge. To ensure that the whole clamp, (including the shoulders) is well compacted, consolidate thoroughly from the bottom, and fill and roll the pit in a saucer shape. clamp shoulde Saucer shaped profile Rolling the clamp while waiting for the next trailer The use of salt * Applying rock salt on the top and shoulders will reduce surface spoilage. © Apply and mix in: © 3kg/m2 to the top of the clamp © 6kg/m2 to the shoulders Salt required including shoulder allowance. clamp length (m) x clamp breadth (m) x 4 = kg salt required. Sheeting down the pit Good sealing of the clamp is vital. Side sheets, as well as double top sheets should be used and weighted down. * Clear plastic under sheets have become very popular and work well. The clear plastic layer is placed on top of the silage and below the usual black sheet(s). This layer is thin enough to be sucked onto the maize surface as oxygen is used up, but tough enough to remain intact when laid out. Weigh down the top sheets with tyres, or silage covers. Do not continue to use tyres with wire visible. Constant pressure over the whole surface will allow minimal wastage. If silage sheets become damaged during the winter - repair them. Anaerobic conditions are required all year! If vermin are a concern, net the clamp over the top of the tyres / weights. 10Mycotoxins * Mycotoxins are toxic substances, hazardous to human and animal health, produced by fungi, either in the field (fusarium toxins) or in stored grain (ochratoxin A). * Mycotoxins should not be a problem within the maize silage, so long as the crop has not deteriorated significantly in the field (as a result of severe frosting for example), or shows no sign of aerobic deterioration at feed out. + Fusarium fungi live on host crops such as maize, wheat, barley and oats. Highest levels of fusarium are found when grain maize has been the previous crop. This is probably due to the lack of chemical treatments for fusarium in maize and the considerable quantity of crop residue left after grain harvest. Minimising the amount of previous crop residue left on the soil surface via ploughing and the use of a cereal fungicide for the control of fusarium, is also likely to have a highly beneficial impact. Surface trash can host and act as a crop to crop bridge for spores, thereby increasing significantly the risk of disease problems in following crops. * Cereal variety choice, using those that have high ear blight resistance, appropriate use of Plant Growth Regulators (PGR’s) to avoid lodging, as are timely harvest and good storage (grain below 18% moisture). + Low impact actions include ensuring good weed control (potential hosts for fusarium), effective insect pest control and appropriate nitrogen use (to avoid lodging). Corn Cob Mix (CCM) * Corn Cob Mix (CCM) is made when the entire maize cob, (leaves husk and grains) are made into silage. © Cobs are typically plucked from the plant by a grain maize header, which is fitted to the front of a forage harvester. The forager, fitted with a corn cracker, chops the cob and processes the grain and if necessary applies an additive to minimise aerobic spoilage in the clamp. © CCM can be clamped in a similar manner to maize silage, or stored via AG bag or round bales. © Target DM at harvest is 60-65% with crops typically becoming fit for harvest about 2 weeks later than silage maize. © CCMasa feed is a half way house between standard maize silage and grain maize. * Due to the High DM of CCM, poor consolidation at harvest and clamp management during feed out can lead to aerobic spoilage. Use of additive to minimise this wastage is recommended in most situations. Feed Value of CCM compared to Maize Silage and Crimped Maize Grain Maize Corn Cob Mix ——_Crimped Maize Silage (ccm) Dry Matter yield (t/DM/ha) 15 Fry 9 Harvest Dry Matter (%) 30 55-60 65-70 Starch (%) 25 45 68 ME (MJ/Kg) 112 13 145 Crude Protein (%) 85 9 96 ulGrain Maize Harvested at grain moisture content of 30%, _ © A moisture meter capable of testing grain moisture content to 35% is needed, otherwise use the microwave test as outlined on page 6. A black dot will form on the base of each grain when it is mature. This “seal” signals the end of the grains dry down period. Due to the higher dry matter content of the grain at harvest, grain maize is generally harvested 3-6 weeks later than forage maize. Grain maize is usually harvested via a “Picker Header” which plucks cobs from the stalks, which are in turn pulverised by blades below the combine table. The pulverised trash and common use of tracked headers and low ground pressure tyres on trailers, minimises the risk of soil structure damage. Once grain has reached 30% moisture content, it can be harvested immediately, even after rainfall, as the outer leaf sheaths protect the grain. Useful in Field Moisture Test: Grip a peeled cob between both hands and twist. If the grain “rattles” it is ready for harvest. Due to the later harvesting of grain maize, post harvest requirements become even more relevant. * Before storage, grain will either need to be dried or treated following crimping, using an additive, which will either preserve or encourage a preserving fermentation within the sealed clamp. Due to the high moisture content at harvest, drying is a little more complicated than other small grain crops. Growers should expect the grain to go through the drier twice, as itis not possible to remove more than 15% moisture in one go, without negative impacts the grain quality. Drying temperatures should remain below 130°C if grain quality is to be maintained. On floor drying of maize grain is possible, with air needed to be blown through the crop immediately post harvest. To ensure even drying, grain should not be stacked more than 1 metre high unless stirrers are present.TECHNICAL NOTE — AUGUST 2014 HOW MUCH IS MAIZE WORTH? m JOHN MORGAN - MGA OFFICE How much is maize worth One of the most common questions being asked of the office team at the moment involves quantifying the value of maize silage, be that for sale or purchase. The prompts for the questions are varied, although a common theme seems to be the imminent threat/opportunity of an anaerobic digester in the area. We are more than happy to try and answer the questions that are asked and thought it may also be useful to summarise our views on the various options, in the hope that it proves valuable. ‘Two approaches There are two ways to address the issue of how much is maize (or any forage for that matter) worth. The first “Growing Costs +” is perhaps the most transparent and involves adding a margin to the growing costs of a particular crop, to come up with a final value. The second option is more woolly and focuses on assessing the “Market” value for a crop in that specific location, at that specific time. ‘Common to both approaches is the need to quantify how much maize is involved in the transaction, more of which later. Growing costs + The Growing Costs + method is incredibly transparent and involves quantifying the total cost of growing a particular crop of maize and then adding a profit margin, to come up with a price per unit, be that’ area or weight. Growing costs should include an allowance for the ongoing fertility management of the field e.g. lime applications. Where possible 2 share of the overheadifixed costs of the farming operation should also be included, How much ‘margin’ to add is very much down to how much profit you would like to make per unit of land. Growing costs would alter depending on whether the crop was sold standing, (harvest/transport costs covered by the purchaser) or per tonne (harvest/transport and clamping costs covered by the vendor). e.g. Growing Costs + Margin = Asking price (per unit of areas or weight) Market Value The Market Value for maize is more difficult to quantify and as with most market rates will be subject to local conditions, both in terms of demand and weather. Studying the sale reports, contacting those in the industry, asking local farmers for views are necessary. You could do a lot worse that averaging the figures provided by those contacted, to come up with a market price. As with the Growing Costs + model, maize can be sold as a standing crop or as silage. By the field, fresh tonne or tonne of dry matter Whether you chose Growing Costs + or Market value, you will still have to decide to sell/buy on an area, or per tonne basis. Buying maize by the acre or hectare is the most common approach in the UK, probably because it is relatively easy and requires the least work. Seller and purchaser typically stand at the field gate and guess the likely yield and subsequently come up with a price based on this estimate. You will gather from my cynical words that | am not convinced on this approach and would encourage transactions to be done on a unit of weight, be that per tonne fresh weight, or ideally on a per tonne of Dry Matter basis. Basing the transaction on a per tonne of DM basis is the most transparent approach and is most likely to ensure that both parties in the transaction remain happy. 1 am a great believer that an open, honest approach from day one provides the best foundation for a long-term business relationship. Selling by weight requires crops to be weighed, either via a weighbridge, cut quadrants, or using density figures for clamped materials. Weighbridges work well with every, or a representative sample of trailers being weighed and total trailer numbers recorded to come up with a total volume figure.Cutting and weighing fixed areas of a crop can also work well alongside a DM assessment of the crop, ideally via lab analysis. Measuring clamp dimensions and using density conversion tables can also work well The table below shows the maize silage density figures | use on a daily basis to work out silage quantities. Table 1 Maize Silage Density figures 20 30. = 40 Value per % of DM An effective way of linking the value per tonne to the DM% of the harvested crop, is to divide the agreed price (calculated either by Growing Costs + or Market method) by the DM%. Such a calculation will result in a Value/% DM/fresh tonne. e.g. Agreed price per tonne (e.g. £33) / DM% of the crop (30%) = Value per % DM per tonne (£1.1/% DM) £33 30% = £1.1/% DM Such an approach will fairly value the dry matter. Table 2 Showing the impact of changing DM% on the value of maize if the £1.10 per tonne fresh per % DM formula is used. Link price to other commodities. ‘One further area to consider, again with the objective of faimess and the development of a long-term relationship between parties, is linking the agreed value of maize to other agricultural commodities. Such an approach will avoid maize values diverging from those of agricultural commodities over time. — In effect, the agreed price of maize per tonne (be that worked out via the Growing Costs + or Market Value method) is calculated as a percentage of a set commodity, (e.g. feed wheat on November 1"). Each year the value of the maize per tonne will be set as the calculated percentage of the commodity price. eg. If the maize value was agreed at £36/tonne fresh this figure represents 29% of the November 2014 spot price for feed wheat (£122.5/tonne). The table below shows the impact of increasing wheat prices on the price paid for maize silage in future years. Table 3 Showing impact of a linking maize price (fMfresh tonne) to feed wheat prices (Ehonne). | 36 #3740 | £30.60 * Please note that the £1 igure Is for llusrative purposes only and is nota recommended figure. Table 2 Illustrates the impact of varying crop DM?% on the value of maize silage, (based on a £1.1/%DM assumption). If maize DM% increases, then the value of the maize also rises and vice versa. Wheat Price ae 100 | 1225 | 140 | 180 | 220 | 260 Price, aw] 3 [|| | m be Summary - More and more maize is being grown for sale, or being purchased as silage for livestock or biogas feedstock. To best develop long term professional business relationships, maize pricing should ideally be based on a E/tonne of DM basis and this agreed price linked to other agricultural commodity values. Finally — Please contact John in the office if you would like to discuss individual circumstances in more detail