Cambridge farmers incorporate maize

Maize converts Dave van den Beuken and Jenny Buckley, with farm owner Trish Jones (right), standing in front of their silage stack and Archway Group feed bunker.

A drought that devastated the Waikato in 2008 was the catalyst that led Jenny Buckley and Dave van den Beuken to incorporate Pioneer maize into their farming system.

Ten years ago, the couple were "typical" system-one all-grass farmers, 50/50 sharemilking on Trish and Paul Jones' farm near Cambridge.

They milked 530 cows on 150ha with one fulltime staff member and one part-timer in the spring, producing 170,000kgMS.

However, the drought of 2008 was the beginning of a series of extremely dry summers in the area.

"We have never experienced, nor were we prepared for a drought of that magnitude," Mr van den Beuken said.

"We had to dry off on March 8, two months earlier than usual, and we only did 130,000kgMS."

They decided to purchase 100t of maize silage the following season, and have successfully used maize silage to fill feed deficits ever since.

In 2010, the Jones' purchased a neighbouring property of 20ha, using 12ha as pasture and using the remaining land to grow maize silage.

The silage was working well, putting condition on cows, but there were a few concerns.
"Maize silage worked very well filling the feed deficit in the summer time, but the wastage was a concern, and we weren't happy losing 10-20 per cent of what we grew by feeding in the paddock," Mr van den Beuken said.

"Also, we were looking for more return on the investment made on growing the maize crop."

After extensive research, the team devised a plan to lift milk production and get the best value from the feed by investing heavily in farm infrastructure.

A robust effluent system was completed in March 2013, followed by a feed pad in April 2014. Archway Group constructed feed bunkers in 2016.

"In 2014 we harvested 290t of maize from 14ha of maize grown on farm, and in the 2014/15 season, with the addition of PKE, we lifted milk production to 240,000kg/MS, while shaving $1/kgMS off the farm's working expenses," Mr van den Beuken said.
Today, the couple milks 550 cows on 170ha, and employ three fulltime staff.

They grow 10ha of maize on a neighbouring lease block, and grow 14ha of maize on the dairy farm. Their target yield is 20t/ha, feeding approximately 1t/cow.

"This allows us to feed maize silage to all our cows from February to October, and feed 3-4kg maize to our dry cows, which we keep on farm over the dry period," Mr van den Beuken said.

This season they moved calving from July 1 to a 50/50 split calving on April 1 and August 1.

Great cropping support, coupled with the farm team's hard work, has meant maize silage is and will remain an integral part of the farm system.

"We consistently achieve 320 days in milk, along with very good condition on the cows year-round," Mr van den Beuken said.

"Maize silage is a very useful tool to maintain body condition and maximise feed intake."