Maize is the most cost effective energy source

Forage maize is the most cost-effective source of energy for livestock, around 20% cheaper than grass silage and over 140% cheaper than brought-in milled or caustic treated wheat, advises a leading plant breeder.

"As cereal commodity prices continue to rise, the performance and cost benefits that maize silage offers dairy and beef herds in comparison to other home-grown or brought in feedstuffs cannot be ignored," says Will Miller from Syngenta Seeds.

Using current average on-farm production costs and market values, growers can calculate the cost of the all important metabolisable energy, or ME, which drives herd output. Recent cost of production figures produced by the Maize Growers Association (MGA) estimate that, on average, maize silage only costs livestock farmers £6.07 for every 1,000 MJ of energy fed. Compare that to three cuts of grass silage made from a typical seven-year ley costing £7.38 per 1,000 MJ fed. The contrast with purchased feed is even more marked. For example, brought-in milled wheat at £200/t, with an ME content of 13.7 MJ/kg, would cost £14.60 per 1,000 MJ fed.

Selecting the right forage maize variety can potentially offer further opportunities to reduce costs as well as increasing herd output says forage specialist Francis Dunne from Field Options. "Better quality maize varieties can help growers reduce reliance on brought-in feeds. There is significant variation between the energy output offered by different varieties on the NIAB Descriptive List, even within each maturity class. This can have a notable effect on the relative cost of energy being fed to the cattle."

For example NK Bull, which sets the benchmark for energy yield, is capable of producing an ME yield 20,000 MJ/ha higher than the average variety on the 2011 NIAB DL (Favourable Sites). If a grower had to make up this difference in energy contribution to the diet with brought in milled wheat it would cost the equivalent of £292 for every hectare of the lower ME yielding maize variety grown.

"The energy output of quality varieties such as NK Bull offers farmers the opportunity to reduce their feed bill and increase output," concludes Mr Miller.