Getting ready for maize harvest

 With maize silage harvest beginning in about 4-6 weeks in many areas, a little planning now will go a long way to prevent a lot of stress just before your crop starts arriving at the stack.  A few things you may need to think about are:

Talking to your contractor

Begin communication with the contractor who is chopping your maize now. First, check your job has been booked in, then make sure the contractor is aware of the area to be harvested, how far the chopped maize needs to be carted, where it will be stacked and your target harvest DM (wetter vs drier). Clarify who will be doing the stack work and whether the contractor will supply the inoculant and silage cover.  

If you are cropping an area for the first time it is wise to get the contractor out on farm to make sure that the gates are wide enough to get harvest machinery through, that any bridges will take the weight of fully laden trucks or trailers, and that the area where the maize is to be stacked has enough room for harvest and stacking machinery to move about safely and freely.  Walk through all potential hazards with the contractor to make sure that these are noted so any potential danger can be removed or minimised prior to harvest time.

Preparing the stack site or bunker 

Preparing the stack site or bunker prior to harvest will mean the job is done more thoroughly and there will be less stress on harvest day. 

New stacks.

If you are planning to stack some or all of your maize in a paddock, mark out the location well ahead of harvest. Make sure the stack is in a dry area. It should be far enough away from drains, fences, and buildings to give the stack tractor room to run off the stack.  This will ensure the sides of the stack are better compacted. 

Rats and mice.

Rats and mice love maize silage stacks. The holes they make in the silage cover let in air and moisture resulting in maize silage DM and quality losses, as well as potential animal health issues.  Lay rodent bait in bait stations around the area to reduce the rat and mice population.  

Tyres.

Stack tyres so that they are easily accessible at maize silage covering time.  This is often a horrible job as on many farms the tyres have been chucked off to one side, are covered in grass or weeds and are full of filthy water.  Stacking them now, when you have time, will reduce a huge amount of stress around harvest time.

Clean existing stack sites or bunkers.

Old rotting silage is full of spoilage organisms. If the next maize is placed on top of it, and then mixed through it during the stacking process, you can expect higher losses.  

Choosing a silage inoculant

Do the research now before the harvest has begun so you can make an informed decision. Not all inoculants are created equal.  Some products are very well researched while others have absolutely no data to support their use. Ask the inoculant company for scientific data (including fermentation trials, DM recovery studies and animal performance trials) which has been peer reviewed and/or published in scientific journals.  If the person who is trying to sell you an inoculant can’t provide you with solid data to support the use of their product, choose an inoculant from a company that can.

Ian Williams is a Pioneer brand products forage specialist.

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