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XtraBlatt Issue 02-2021

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  • Krone
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  • Maize
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  • Agricultural
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KNOWLEDGE Veterinarian

KNOWLEDGE Veterinarian André Hüting: “Experience shows that maize harvests usually begin far too late when the DM levels are close to 38–40%, which is too high.” percentage. “The procedure was repeated after a number of days – depending on the weather. This helped us watch the ripening process," he explains. In fact, the crop ripened fast in the light soils of the Rhine valley, also because of the lack of rain and high temperatures. “Most farmers were planning to start harvest not before the end of September, but that would have been too late,” comments André. When DM levels in the first stands reached the proper percentages, André gave the contractors the go-ahead for the 7th of September. The vets look after the feed quality of approximately 200 dairy and beef farmers, each of whom grows 40–60 hectares of maize, which totals to 10,000 hectares. The aim is also to collaborate with the con- TIMING IS KEY IN MAIZE EARLIER THAN EXPECTED It is important to start measuring dry matter contents (DM) in silage maize well ahead of harvest and then keep going up to harvest which is best when DM is 32–34%. Also, cuts should be shorter than 9mm and the stubble as high as 50cm. This is the recipe for high-quality maize silage, says vet André Hüting In grain, farmers measure moisture levels down to a tenth percent accuracy before they move into the field whereas for maize they are happy with a rough guess. “Yet, experience shows that the maize harvest is usually delayed far too long until DM contents are developing towards the 38- 40% threshold. Yet at this DM level, the silage is much more difficult to compact. Compacting is best at 32–34% DM, André is convinced. He and his colleagues run a veterinary practice which is linked to their consulting firm “KuhBlick”. For many years, they have been offering advice and assistance in all aspects of dairy and beef cattle husbandry and feeding for improving animal health and performance. XtraBlatt has repeatedly reported about their activities. The vets consider feed quality of grass and maize silage as an integral part of these issues. This year they added another detail to their service: the analysis of DM levels in maize silage which is carried out before the forager actually moves into the field. This service allows farmers to assess the ripeness of their crop by using scientific figures for an optimum timing of the harvest. AN EARLY START To do that, they cut five plants from each maize field of their clients, making sure these were cut in different patches. Then the plants were shredded with a regular garden shredder, tells André. Next, the material was mixed and a 500g sample was removed from the mix. This was poured into a food processor for further shredding. After that, the material was analysed in their own lab to determine the exact DM tractors in the region to get the optimum harvest date for each individual stand. “The contractors appreciate that very much, because this allows them to deliver the best-quality feed and at the same time reduce the time pressure. When all farmers want to harvest at the same time – which is typically the case – the haulage chains don’t really cope or at least not at the required quality. Yet, by analysing the stands by soil, variety and maturity at an early stage and in all fields, they can schedule accordingly. A win win. Each sampling costs €15. Although the price doesn’t really cover the costs, they consider it part of their consultancy service. Another motivation is to raise the awareness for what is the best time for harvest. “The increase in quality is enormous,” is his conclusion when he looks at the results. “We also checked the quality with the particle separator and found it was excellent. 7mm chops and cracked kernels really speak for themselves. And the operators who do the rolling on the clamp have confirmed that they were able to get a top-notch % compression from a 32–33 DM crop. This in turn helps enormously with fermenta- 32 33