AS the south west has been battered by storms the past few months, one firm has provided advice for harvesting maize in wet conditions. 

Kelvin Cave Ltd, feed preservation specialists based in Langport, Somerset, say that there is one option that could salavage the best feed value from maize in these difficult conditions. 

Michael Carpenter, technical director of the company, says farmers can consider harvesting their maize as high moisture grain. This ideally means having access to a 4WD or tracked combine with a maize header.

South West Farmer: Michael Carpenter, technical director at South West-based Kelvin Cave Ltd, is a specialist in feed

A crimping machine is then needed to prepare the crop for easy storage, without the need for drying. Then, the rolled crop can be preserved as a high energy concentrate feed for dairy, beef and sheep, or for anaerobic digestion.

“I know of several contractors with this machinery who are already harvesting and crimping large acreages of grain maize in this way," said Michael. 

“The combine will travel on a mat of shredded stalks and leaves, which is cut ahead of the vehicle, creating far less mud on tyres and roads.

"The combine can also deliver its grain to a gateway, avoiding the need for heavy trailers to traverse wet ground, and minimising soil compaction.”

South West Farmer: The grain is largely protected from the wet conditions.

"The resulting crimped maize will typically have a metabolisable energy of around 14MJ/kg DM and over 70% starch, providing a cost-effective option for a high energy, home-grown feed. Its high feed value is just as relevant for anaerobic digestion as it is for feeding livestock.”

However, if there is no alternative to foraging wet maize, then 'great care' must be taken, warns Kelvin Cave Ltd. 

The challenges of preserving maize silage as the crop matures beyond optimum dry matter of 32-35% has been highlighted by Dr Dave Davies from Silage Solutions. 

“As wholecrop maize matures, so its dry matter increases while its digestibility, energy content and total harvestable yield go into decline,” he said.

“The plant, as it dies, also becomes more prone to fungal infection in the field, increasing the mycotoxin risk and greatly increasing the challenge of aerobic spoilage of the silage at feed-out.”

South West Farmer: Although diseased, the sheath protects the cob.

Kelvin Cave Ltd warns that high dry matter adds to the challenge of compaction and risk of aerobic instability. They also say the the grain is much more difficult to crack, so attention to corn cracking every grain is essential.

Michael added: "We would strongly recommend using the preservative, Safesil Pro, for high dry matter maize, in this year’s generally difficult harvesting conditions.

“This product has been formulated to deal with the challenges to aerobic stability we expect to see in the remainder of this year’s maize. And it will inhibit the spoilage organisms – including those from soil contamination – which are likely to threaten its quality.

“We’d advise against a bacterial inoculant in these conditions, as these are unlikely to prevent the proliferation of the many undesirable organisms in this type of challenged crop."