Baseline information on agricultural practices in the EU ... - Europabio

6 Harvest and post-harvest land use
6.1 Harvest
The harvest timing depends on the purpose of the crop, the maturity class and the climatic conditions
of the site (Table 22). For silage maize the right time to harvest is determined in function of the
optimal feed uptake, utilisation (digestibility) by the cattle and energetic value (DM content about 30-
35%). Grain maize needs to be fully mature. Harvesting maize for grain usually occurs after the kernel
moisture is below 25%. Kernels need to be dried to 16% moisture within 24 hours after harvest.
Several organisations give directions to determine the optimal harvest time (e.g. Maïshandboek,
GNIS). Maize is generally harvested between late August and early December.
Silage maize is harvested mechanically using a maize silage cutter / header. The length of the pieces
depends on the dry matter content; dryer plants are chopped in shorter pieces. Chopped maize is
packed in a horizontal silo or bunker for partial fermentation under anaerobic conditions. To remove
all the air from the silo the maize silage is compacted by driving a tractor after each load and over and
over until the surface is firm. Finally the silage is sealed with a plastic cover to prevent air returning.
Silage maize is predominantly used on-farm for dairy cattle. Specific inoculants (lactic acid bacteria,
enzymes) can be used to improve fermentation quality and reduce energy and dry matter losses.
Grain maize is mechanically picked using a combine / maize sheller that cuts the maize plants and
shells and threshes the maize cobs in one operation. Traditionally the maize cobs are hand harvested
and threshed. Also small handheld or powered machines are used for threshing. The remaining plant
parts are used for ruminant feeding. This practise is still applied on small farms in central and
southern Europe. Manually picked maize cobs are commonly stored in their unhusked form. To
improve their drying the husks are removed from the cobs. Grain maize for trade is usually
immediately transported to the trader and dried for storage.
Corn-cob-mix is harvested at a grain DM content of 55-60%. The cobs are picked mechanically and
cobs and grains are grinded on the field or transported and chopped at the silo. The mix is
immediately ensiled similar to whole plant silage. The mix is used mainly for feeding pigs.
Table 22: Harvest date (Sources: a Maizeurop; b Bayern, Sortenversuch Silomais / Körnermais; c
Maïshandboek; d Ministry of Agriculture (MADR); e FSE; f EuropaBio member companies)
Zone Member State Use Harvest date
A
North
B
Centre
Denmark a
Estonia e -
Finland -
Latvia e -
Lithuania e
Sweden -
Austria -
Belgium Silage September – mid-October
Czech Republic -
Germany Silage b Mid-September – October b
Hungary e
Grain b October b
Ireland -
Luxembourg -
the Netherlands Silage c September – mid-October c
-
-
-
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