Feeding this year’s silage has already begun, but how did our hybrids perform in the field this year? Our first season of silage corn BrettYoung Comparison Trials (BCTs) has come to a close, so it’s time to look at how hybrid performances varied in yield and quality.
BCTs were first established as a way for Regional Account Managers (RAMs) and growers to assess hybrids — new and existing — against each other while assessing performance against industry checks. With trial locations across Western Canada, these trials show us how our products perform in each environment.
The Results #
So far, results from three BCTs have been received. These trials assessed four hybrids, two of our commercial hybrids (BY Brava RR2 and BY Belmont RR2) from the Roundup Ready® system, and two new VT Double PRO® hybrids (BY Guernsey VT2P RIB and experimental hybrid: BYM2234003BV).
| Location | Province | Hybrid | Yield (Mt/ac) | Trial Mean (Mt/ac) | % of Trial Mean | Moisture (%) | TDN (%) | ADF (%) | NDF (%) | Milk/Ac (lb/ac) | NE/Gain (Mcal/kg) | NE/Lact (Mcal/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | MB | BYM2234003BV | 14.6 | 17.1 | 85 | 63.6 | 72.4 | 24.6 | 44.6 | 17842 | 1.12 | 1.66 |
| Clearwater | MB | BY Brava RR2 | 22.7 | 17.1 | 133 | 59.1 | 81.3 | 16.3 | 34.8 | 28384 | 1.36 | 1.88 |
| Clearwater | MB | BY Belmont RR2 | 17.7 | 17.1 | 104 | 60.2 | 77.1 | 20.2 | 37.1 | 22861 | 1.25 | 1.77 |
| Clearwater | MB | BY Guernsey VT2P RIB | 19.0 | 17.1 | 111 | 54.6 | 78.6 | 18.8 | 37.0 | 24131 | 1.28 | 1.81 |
| Clearwater | MB | P7958AM (CHECK) | 11.5 | 17.1 | 67 | 60.2 | 78.5 | 18.9 | 37.9 | 16271 | 1.28 | 1.81 |
| Shellbrook | SK | BYM2234003BV | 18.0 | 17.1 | 105 | |||||||
| Shellbrook | SK | BY Guernsey VT2P RIB | 17.5 | 17.1 | 102 | 58.9 | 80.1 | 17.3 | 35.4 | 23461 | 1.33 | 1.85 |
| Shellbrook | SK | BY Brava RR2 | 16.5 | 17.1 | 96 | 63.1 | 78.9 | 18.5 | 36.6 | 20979 | 1.29 | 1.82 |
| Shellbrook | SK | BY Belmont RR2 | 16.5 | 17.1 | 96 | 67.3 | 77.9 | 19.4 | 37.7 | 19472 | 1.27 | 1.79 |
| Osler | SK | BYM2234003BV | 21.3 | 20.5 | 104 | 70.9 | 73.8 | 21.2 | 35.6 | 20326 | 1.26 | 1.70 |
| Osler | SK | BY Guernsey VT2P RIB | 20.2 | 20.5 | 99 | 66.4 | 72.5 | 23.0 | 37.7 | 21600 | 1.21 | 1.65 |
| Osler | SK | BY Brava RR2 | 23.2 | 20.5 | 113 | 68.8 | 74.4 | 20.9 | 35.3 | 25648 | 1.28 | 1.70 |
| Osler | SK | BY Belmont RR2 | 17.4 | 20.5 | 85 | 70.7 | 72.7 | 23.6 | 39.0 | 16952 | 1.21 | 1.65 |
| Osler | SK | P7958AM (CHECK) | 20.3 | 20.5 | 99 | 66.6 | 73.6 | 21.9 | 38.1 | 23641 | 1.26 | 1.68 |
The first step in determining corn silage quality is through submitting a sample of it to the lab for an analysis on dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), fibre content (ADF, NDF), and energy value (TDN). Once these factors are determined, you can create a balanced and cost-effective ration that will achieve your goal, whether it be for gains or milk production.
Neutral-detergent fiber (NDF) is the measurement of the total fiber content of a forage which includes cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
Acid-detergent fiber (ADF) is the measurement of the cellulose, lignin, and pectin fiber fractions of forages which is used to predict energy content of silage, and other forages.
Total digestible nutrients (TDN) is the energy content of feeds as the sum of the digestibility of different nutrients including the sum of digestible crude protein, digestible carbohydrates, and digestible fat.
Milk per acre is an estimate of the milk produced from the energy available from an acre of corn silage dry matter, which is adjusted for energy required for maintenance of the cow.
Additional Trials #
BrettYoung submits corn entries to the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA)/ Manitoba Corn Committee’s corn hybrid performance trials every year. This year, we had entries in Elm Creek and St. Pierre. These programs provide different trialing locations but also the comparison to many competitor hybrids for both grain corn and silage corn. Full results can be found here.
Hybrids were also submitted this year for the first time into the British Columbia CowChow trials to help generate more data in Canada. Full results can be found here.
