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Producers now have an alternative to grazing dried-up late summer grass that provides excellent gains on few acres. "Amaizing Graze," a maize hybrid developed by Dick Baldridge of Cherry Fork, Ohio, is designed to be a forage crop, not a grain-producing one. "Summer native pastures are one of the least productive forages, and it limits the number of cattle per acre. With grazing maize, we're taking the lowest production period into one of the highest production periods, allowing for more cattle per acre," says Baldridge, founder of Baldridge Hybrids that markets the maize. Baldridge developed the corn variety to produce less grain and starch with lower lignin levels, while providing increased leaves and forage, and a high sugar content. "Lignin levels are critical," he says. "With less lignin in the stalk, more of the plant is digestible for cattle. We also increased the leaves on the plant to improve digestibility." The forage has 65 to 70 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN), compared to 50 percent TDN for sorghums and Sudan grasses. It also has a very high tonnage, producing as much as 20,000 pounds of dry matter per acre.
Amaizing Graze is widely adapted to North America. It is currently grown as far north as Alberta, Canada, and down south to Central America. Baldridge is also developing a tropical germ plasma for more southern areas. "The temperate version -- the version currently on the market -- is used throughout most of the United States. Planting times vary with the region of the country. In the south, the corn is planted early, beginning in mid-March," he says. "The plant may be the answer to hot Texas summers," says Ross Cantrell of Estes Chemical, a company that sells Amaizing Graze. "You can plant it early, even with an occasional frost. Then the plant takes advantage of our wet season, growing in May and June. During the hot summer, the crop is mature to graze or can be cut as silage, or can be grazed when it's dried up in the fall." The corn still has good nutritive values late in the year. "You can leave the mature corn plant until December, and it still tests nine percent protein. Other forages dramatically drop protein levels by then." Forage testing shows the corn has a lot of protein, with 16 to 17 percent protein in the early stages of the crop and 10 to 12 percent protein in the more mature stages. "We grow a lot of wheat in our area, but we need a crop to rotate in the summer to clean up the fields," Cantrell says. "This may be our answer." He also thinks the crop will be good to grow stockers on during the late summer and early fall while waiting for wheat pasture to come up. Sixty to 70 days after planting, the corn is generally six to eight feet tall. Producers can wait until the fall or winter to graze the plants, and cattle will eat everything but the bottom 10 inches of the stalk. "Limit grazing provides the most efficient use of the crop," Baldridge says. He suggests using an electric fence to confine cattle to one area of the field to encourage clean up. "If they have access to a large area, they will trample the forage and waste it." He says knowing how much acreage to give the cattle at one time is like tuning a violin. "You've got to look at how they're cleaning it up. It typically takes four or five days to adjust the grazing area." Using limit grazing cheapens the cost of gain. An Ohio State University study compared Amaizing Graze with normal pasture grasses using two 39-head groups of cattle. The study waited until late July when the crop was mature and the pasture grasses were normally at their lowest quality. The control group grazed 35 acres of native grass in two months, and gained 1.4 pounds per day. However, cattle turned out on grazing corn gained 2.2 pounds per day on just six acres. "Actually, they only consumed four acres with limit grazing," Baldridge says. This computes to a cost of gain of 18c per pound. In another experiment, a west Kentucky registered Hereford operation tried the grazing maize with brood cows. "They increased their stocking rate from 60 to 110 cows with the grazing maize, compared to native pasture on the same amount of acreage. The only change was the forage. The ranchers reported better body condition of the cows and increased weaning weights." Generally, the forage can double the carrying capacity while increasing body condition, he says. Baldridge is currently experimenting with grazing the plant in the early stages to take advantage of regrowths. Results of this research is about two years away. For more information on Amaizing Graze, contact Baldridge Hybrids at 800-639-4484. |
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