Description

Grazing Maize is a fast establishing summer grass plant containing high levels of energy and fibre, especially during the maize plants vegetative stage offering rich, extremely palatable and nutritious forage or green chop for livestock.

Typically grown for silage or grain harvest, Grazing Maize offers an alternative to grazing tropical grasses such as sorghum, as like millets, with grazing maize posing no prussic acid risk to animals. Grazing maize can be sown much earlier than C4 (Millet and Sorghum) and doesn’t have the pest issues brassicas have.

• Timing of Grazing: Grazing should ideally occur during the vegetative stage of maize growth, ensuring optimal nutrient content. Late grazing can result in lower nutritional value due to lignification of plant tissues.
• Cover crop: Maize can act as a cover crop, preventing soil erosion and improving soil structure, especially when used in no-till or reduced-till systems.
• Maximising yield: To optimise yield for energy and bulk, harvest once the maize cob is fully formed.
• Early Grazing Potential: Grazing can commence 6-8 weeks after planting or when the crop has reached 80cm tall.
• Stress adaptable:

Sown in early November, Grazing Maize has a high yield potential provided it is fertilised appropriately and the crop has access to good amount of soil moisture, especially in the critical early growth stages. Soil fertility is a major factor in high yields as maize can remove large amounts of major nutrients through the growing season so get in touch with our team for any agronomy advice on optimising your grazing maize.