How to choose a silage maize variety: beyond yield, the Margin Over Feed Cost
Choosing a silage maize variety should not be based on yield alone. The profitability of a dairy farm also depends on the feed value of the forage, particularly its starch content, fiber digestibility and milk production potential. To assess this overall performance, KWS highlights the Margin Over Feed Cost (MCA), an indicator that combines yield and nutritional quality. According to specialists, two varieties can result in a difference of up to 2 kg of milk per cow per day. KWS has therefore developed the EnergyBOOST label, which distinguishes high-energy-density varieties capable of improving milk production and farm profitability.
Read the article: How to choose a silage maize variety: beyond yield, the Margin Over Feed Cost
Interview. Silage maize: “A farmer’s goal is to produce as much milk as possible from their own forage”
In an interview, Samuel Batard, KWS nutrition expert, and Jean-Luc Demars, KWS maize product manager, explain the KWS approach, which assesses varieties based on two measures of performance: field yield and feed value in the silo. The EnergyBOOST label distinguishes high-energy-density maize varieties capable of providing more degradable starch, greater milk production potential and a higher Margin Over Feed Cost. Nine varieties are currently labelled, and trials conducted by Arvalis have lent credibility to the approach to improving the profitability of dairy farms.
Read the interview: Silage maize: “A farmer’s goal is to produce as much milk as possible from their own forage”
Silage maize performance: the truth comes out in the cows’ milk
An independent trial conducted by Arvalis at the La Jaillière experimental farm assessed the impact of variety choice in silage maize on performance in dairy farming. . For twelve weeks, two groups of cows received an identical ration; only the maize variety differed. The KWS variety, richer in starch and more digestible (dNDF), enabled an additional 1 kg of raw milk per cow per day to be produced and improved the margin over feed costs by 16 cents per cow per day. For a herd of 120 cows, this represents approximately 43 800 liters of milk and 7 000 € in additional margin per year. These results confirm the value of KWS’s “dual performance” approach, which combines field yield with the feed value of forage.
Interview. “The better the forage, the easier and more profitable it is for the farmer”
For Fabrice Bedel, ruminant specialist at Mixsciences, the trial conducted by Arvalis for KWS is innovative because it establishes a direct link between maize performance in the field and its effects on milk production. The results show that a variety combining a high starch content with excellent fiber digestibility makes it possible to produce an additional 1 kg of raw milk per cow per day, while also improving the animals’ body condition. In his view, this proves that the energy in the forage is better utilized, both for milk production and for the cows’ health and reproduction. He also highlights the value of Margin Over Feed Costs (MCA), an indicator rarely used by seed companies but essential for measuring profitability in dairy farming. His conclusion is clear: the higher the forage quality, the greater the farmer’s technical and economic performance.
