Case Studies
Seed » Case Studies
"There is maize and there is maize"
Peter Davies, dairy farmer & feed herd, Waikato
Grows TENDERLEAFY® CTL 100, 102 & 108
"There is maize and there is maize. I have always tried different things to see what results I get. Digestibility and compatibility to the cow is critical - that's where the Corson TENDERLEAFY® has got it right. We get great utilisation and the cows run to the pad for it!... In changing to Corson TENDERLEAFY® we got a 2 litre per cow lift in the spring and we haven't looked back. I've now made a complete switch to Corson hybrids."
Peter Davies owns a 140 hectare farm and currently manages a pedigree herd of 400 Jersey cows on target to produce 200,000 kg of milk solids this year - about 500 kg milk solids per cow.
Peter maintains that talking to his cows has enabled him to achieve some of the best levels of milk production in the country.
Peter's more proven secret however is the Corson TENDERLEAFY® range of maize hybrids which he exclusively feeds "on the pad" for his herd.
Peter has been feeding cows for close to 30 years and, through a willingness to experiment, has knowledge of animal nutrition and health that few could match in the dairy industry. Peter is passionate about the health of his cows. "Our philosophy is ‘balance'. We balance the soils, the cows' diet - everything is worked on balance".
"To get the best return, you need your stock in prime milking condition ensuring that most of the food is utilised for milk production. Our cows' diet is 40% on the pad and 60% in the paddock. Because they can only fit so much grass in their stomachs, Maize is like a concentrate. It enhances their use of the grass and improves their ME (metaoblisable energy) levels."
"There is maize and there is maize. I have always tried different things. In changing to Corson TENDERLEAFY® we got a 2 litre per cow lift in the spring and we haven't looked back. I've now made a complete switch to Corson hybrids."
Peter has 30ha of Corson TENDERLEAFY® maize hybrids planted this year. It's a large crop for any dairy farmer but he prefers to control the quality of nutrition for his cows than buy feed from contract growers. "Digestibility and compatibility to the cow is critical - that's where the Corson TENDERLEAFY® has got it right. We get great utilisation and the cows run to the pad for it!"
"TENDERLEAFY® maize silage is just what Corson promised"
Willie Duncan - Dairy Farmer, Manawatu
Grows TENDERLEAFY® CTL 96
"CTL96 is a strong durable plant with a big leaf, creating more bulk. I get good quality and the quantity of dry matter is much better than previous hybrids. The yield is also reliable", says Willie. "It fits effortlessly into our system of paddock rotation and, at about 140 days from planting to harvest, the timing is great for me - not too long and not too short. It works".
Willie and Melissa Duncan and their two young sons own and operate 810 hectares of family farm in Kairanga, Manawatu. "It's a busy life," says Willie.
It's a big operation, with Willie running a dairy herd of around 1000 cows, a sheep and beef fattening operation and 100 hectares of crops - 60 hectares of cereal crops (wheat, barley) and another 40 hectares of maize for both grain and silage.
Willie has been growing maize silage for many years and four years ago switched to the Corson Tender Leafy CTL96 to "give it a try" - testing Rob Shannon's (from Corson) claims about the performance of CTL96.
Four years later Willie is very happy with the result and agrees that Rob was right. "CTL96 is a strong durable plant with a big leaf, creating more bulk. I get good quality and the quantity of dry matter is much better than previous hybrids. The yield is also reliable", says Willie.
Not only is Willie happy with the results he sees in relation to the dairy side of his operation, he says that with the steer operation the feed gives his animals good bulk over the winter months. This reduces the time he needs to feed them on grass in the spring to get them to a killable weight. The turnover is much better.
Willie says that the CTL96 plant suits him and fits into his system of paddock rotation. "It's about 140 days from planting to harvest. The timing is great for me, not too long and not too short. It works".
"I used to milk 190 cows, but since moving to maize silage I now milk 350 cows"
Kevin Landers - Taranaki Dairy Farmer
Grows Tenderleafy 96
"I used to milk 190 cows, but since moving to maize silage I now milk 350 cows. I've been feeding TENDERLEAFY® 96 for the past three years, as it's the best for my farming conditions. What I like about 96 is that it has a bigger cob so I can get a better quality yield and this means more milk. Corson specialise in maize silage, which I like. They're helpful in advising me what I should be doing with maize silage and a good bunch of guys to work with."
"An exceptional first crop"
Christian Funnell - Dairy Farmer, Opiki, Southern Manawatu
Grows Corson Tenderleafy® 96.
"As a first time grower of Corson TENDERLEAFY® 96 I was really impressed.
An exceptional first crop, with an average yield of 24 tonne of dry matter per hectare" said Christian.
"The Corson CTL96 has very large cobs which results in high grain content, converting to high metabolisable energy.
We have had great support from the Corson representative, Julian Nicholson, from planting through to harvest.
I will be back again to plant Corson Maize Silage".
"Corson TENDERLEAFY® 100 is tough!"
Simon & Joanne Belton - Dairy Farm, Te Poi, Matamata
Three years ago Simon spoke with Jim from Corson and decided to try the Corson TENDERLEAFY® 100 Maize Silage Hybrid.
"I know that Corson TENDERLEAFY® 100 is tough - it can handle our location.
This years crop was huge and we got a beautiful 33% dry matter. It had very good metabolizable energy and we harvested in excess of 20 tonne per hectare."
"The target we set ourselves for our first season was 120,000kg milk solids per annum (ms/pa) but heading for 114,000kg ms/pa. Given the year we have that will be a pretty good result", says Simon. "It has been a pretty big learning curve for us. Next year we are aiming for another big jump to 150,000kg ms/pa.
There are no negatives to using Corson and I will be using them for my crops for the foreseeable future."
"Maize gives me security of production."
Richard & Rebecca Rappe - Dairy Farm, Morrinsville, Waikato
Grow Corson TENDERLEAFY® 100.
"We chose the early maturing Corson TENDERLEAFY® 100 as I like to harvest my crop early and get the cows started on supplementary feed if we need to - and this season we needed to."
"We have had a couple of tough seasons and using silage as a supplementary feed has meant that the weather gets taken out of the equation for me.
Even with the really dry season we have had our silage crop has been on a par with the previous year - which I am really happy about."
"The TENDERLEAFY® 100 hold its 'greenness' which makes it easier to compact in the stack. I have also noticed that in the yard the cows hardly pass any kernels - not like the previous brand we used."
"Paul and Jim from Corson have been brilliant. They are always there to answer any of my questions. Honestly I canít fault Corson at all, they really have been outstanding."
"It's all due to the maize."
Peter & Anna Gallien - Dairy Farm, Korakouni, South Te Awamutu
Grow Corson GoldFrank Dual Purpose Maize Hybrid.
The farm has an effective 140 hectare milking platform with an additional 20 hectare runoff block that is used for growing maize.
"I have been growing maize for about 15 years and initially grew it for sale but now we grow maize specifically for our own use.
I have been using Corson hybrids for the past 6 to 7 years, alongside other hybrids but now I will only use Corson," said Peter.
"We use Corson GoldFrank dual purpose maize hybrid because it has a high grain content, which gives more energy to the cows.
It's a good all-round performer and gives me consistent high yields. It has good stalk strength, it doesnít fall over and we don't get any Northern Leaf Blight or Rust, which has hammered our crops when we have used other hybrids in the past.
I get an average yield of 22 tonne per hectare.
Jim from Corson Grain is also there if I need support or advice," says Peter.
