Dry NIR analysis by ForFarmers has shown some 2024 maize silage being affected by low starch levels and it’s a trend that has been developing over the past three years.
“We’ve seen starch levels dropping over the last three years with an average of 30.3% in 2022 falling to 29% in 2023 and for 2024 it fell again to 27.6%,” said Bruce Forshaw, ForFarmers product manager. “This is obviously a worrying trend when maize is being grown for its high energy and starch content.
“As part of our quality control process with Eurofins we sent 30 samples for wet chemistry analysis which verified our dry NIR results and further confirmed the accuracy of this method of forage testing. A large portion of the silages with low starch also had a low dry matter which can make analysis using traditional fresh NIR more difficult because of the way the light refracts off the moisture in the sample. For dry NIR all the moisture is removed before scanning.
“This maize starch reduction is down to a number of factors,” Bruce continued. “We’ve seen reduced sunshine hours in the past few summers meaning cobs haven’t ripened as usual.”
ForFarmers spoke to a number of farmers with low maize silage starch levels and they reported taking the crop earlier then they might have previously because of the worry of wet ground conditions and forecasted further rain.”
Lower dry matter results in maize silage this year coupled with lower boron also suggest cob sizes have been smaller, maybe again as a result of early harvesting.
“Leaving maize crops to mature further is a very difficult decision when faced with the wet conditions we had last autumn,” said Bruce. “Think about using an early maturing variety this year to give you an earlier harvest date and allows for a follow on crop to be sown.
“If maize silage is coming back with low starch levels I would suggest supplementing the diet with a consistent product, which won’t detrimentally affect the health of the rumen, such as caustic wheat,” he concluded.
For more like this, sign up for the FREE South East Farmer e-newsletter here and receive all the latest farming news, reviews and insight straight to your inbox.
