Maximise silage quality with expert tips on harvesting at the right time, using Pioneer® inoculants, proper compaction, airtight sealing, and careful storage. Preserve more nutrients and boost livestock performance.
Category: Maize Advice
How 11CFT Inoculant Breaks Down Lignin & Makes Feed More Valuable
Corn silage has tough plant cell walls that contain lignin—a hard, woody substance that makes it difficult for Australian dairy cows to digest the fibre inside. Think of lignin like the plastic coating on a hay bale, keeping the valuable nutrients locked away. Learn how 11CFT Fibre Breakdown Inoculant from Pioneer Seeds works to deliver better value: Beneficial Bacteria Get to Work Breaking Open the Fibre Better Feed Value Cooler, Fresher Silage Bottom Line By breaking down lignin and unlocking more fibre, 11CFT makes corn silage easier to digest, more nutritious, and more valuable—helping farmers get better results from every tonne of silage. 11CFT is available through Notman Pasture Seeds in 50 and 250 wet tonne bottles. Want to value […]
Top 12 Inoculant Questions
Get expert answers to the top 12 silage inoculant questions. Learn how Pioneer® inoculants improve fermentation, dry matter recovery, and feed stability for better livestock performance.
Quick guide to nutrient deficiency in maize
Our guide to common nutrient deficiencies in maize silage plants, their symptoms, and potential management strategies for maize growers in southern Australia.
Maize Growers Guide for southern Australian farmers
Due to rapid advances in plant breeding technology, plant protection and management expertise, the last decade has seen significant increases to the yield potential and stress tolerance of corn. For many farmers producing corn for silage production in southern Australia, the potential exists to increase profits. There are many important factors which will contribute to this. The yield potential of corn will vary between districts and farms because of planting date, water availability, sunlight, soil structure, soil fertility and a decision to get back to pasture in Autumn. Yield potential will also vary between seasons at the same site depending on the season (e.g. heat wave, drought), as well as choice of hybrid, sowing time and other associated management decisions […]
Trichogramma wasps in maize crops
Implementing Trichogramma pretiosum, a parasitic wasp, in maize silage to control caterpillar pests, enhancing crop yield and quality through natural biological control. Quick reference guide from Notman Pasture Seeds for our Australian maize growers. Target Pests Heliothis HelicoverpaLoopers Chrysodeixis spp.Cabbage moth (diamondback moth) Plutella xylostell Description Trichogramma are minute wasps, less than 0.5 mm long. When the wasp eggs hatch, the larvae devour the developing caterpillar inside the moth egg. A female wasp can parasitise over fifty moth eggs during her lifespan of up to 2 weeks. Trichogramma are supplied as parasitized moth eggs. Identifying Heliothis Heliothis eggs are small, approx 1 mm in size, and creamy white. Typically found on the upper surfaces of young leaves. Get in touch […]
Pioneer brand inoculants – why pay more?
Are premium silage inoculants worth the investment? Explore the science behind Pioneer brand inoculants and how they maximize feed quality, stability, and animal performance.
Maize Harvest 2023
Victorian Maize Growers, For maize growers we’ve put together some handful reminders around early harvest for maturity, improving silage quality by reducing spoilage, runoff & using the a good inoculant as immature crops are more susceptible to poorer aerobic stability. There are a few growers who are harvesting in the next couple of weeks, and there will be a big spread of harvesting into May. To use more energy from the fibre available we would use 11CFT inoculant which is designed to improve fibre digestibility NDF with it’s two unique strains Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus buchneri. Please download and have a read of the attached booklet below and if you need any advice please get in touch. Thanks, the team […]
Why grow extra maize silage this season?
For many farmers, growing some maize silage on farm makes good sense. Market prices dictate the type of bought in feed, they may have access feed out carts, feed pads, run short of maize silage when you really needed more…there’s many reasons why farmers have considered planting an extra paddock, or contracting a few more tonnes of maize silage this season. Risk management is certainly important with maize, which is particularly beneficial during challenging seasons. Could planting an extra paddock offset risk of the entire crop yield? So losses in overall yield are made up by having an extra paddock in? Here we’ve listed some reason’s why you might grow a bit more extra maize silage in 2022-23: Reduce your feed costs […]
Understanding maize sizing
When maize seed goes through the conditioning process, it is separated into fractions based on kernel size and shape creating uniformity. Fractions of seed corn in different kernel sizes averaged across leading Pioneer ® brand hybrid families in the northern U.S. SEED SIZE OVERVIEW Image supplied by Du Pont Pioneer IMPACT OF SEED SIZE SEED SIZE & RELATIVE IMPACT ON MAIZE YIELD Nearly all kernel sizes can be successfully planted with all planter types. Additional adjustment may be required in some cases KERNEL SIZE PLANTABILITY Kernel size-plantability guidelines for air, vacuum, finger pick-up and plate-type planters August 13, 2018