Abstract

Significant lifts in profitability have been achieved by New Zealand dairy farmers through the inclusion of increasing amounts of maize silage into a pasture based system. Most of this maize is grown off the dairy unit on farmer owned or leased runoff blocks or by contract growers. While there is still significant scope to improve dairy farm productivity by increasing maize silage input levels, there is considerable opportunity to also improve dairy farm productivity by reducing feed costs through improving maize silage yields, increasing milk output by lifting maize silage nutritional quality and improving agronomic stability of maize silage offering higher yields over a wider environmental range. Traditional plant breeding, genetic engineering and advances in agronomic management all have the potential to impact production potential and profitability of maize silage in New Zealand dairy farm systems.

WA, Montgomerie

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 64, Hamilton, 96-100, 2004