“The quickest way to determine the quality and value of maize is to feed it to a dairy cow. What goes in this morning is converted into the quality and litres of milk she produces.” This valuable advice comes from Fanie Yssel, Technical Manager: Agronomy of K2 Seed.

When the dairy farmers in the George, Port Elizabeth, Patensie region and as far north as Cradock started planting K2 Seed’s 84 Series, the KKS 8410BR and the KKS 8408R for silage, the seed company saw an opportunity. Currently, they command 98% of the silage market in this region. Shortly thereafter, Cedara analysed the digestibility of the two cultivars and proved excellent results. It is a high plant and the plant-to-grain ratio is excellent. “An important consideration is the fact that you are not obliged to cut the plant for silage. Should something happen that prevents you from cutting, you can leave the plants to dry out for harvesting and you will still have an excellent grain yield, says Fanie.

The feedlots also started planting this maize because, as for a farmer, all revolves around feed conversion, or the kilograms of meat that can be produced per hectare. The 84 Series ensures more profit for them.

One of the top sellers in the K2 range is the KKS 8326 series of Argentinian descent. In Argentina, they prefer to cultivate short corn plants for no-till so that the high clearance sprayers can move over it. KKS 8326 also proved itself in South Africa as the most effective water consumer. “KKS 8326 uses 80 mm of water to produce a ton of grain where other maize cultivars use up to 95 mm over their lifespan,” says Fanie.

Argentinian maize is also one of the cultivars with the strongest leaf packages on the market, and it will always be the last maize cultivar to contract leaf diseases. The low water consumption makes it suitable for drought areas and also promises to save a lot of water for irrigation farmers.

You can contact K2 Seed at +27 (0) 44-203-9800 or send an e-mail to info@seedmarketing.co.za, or visit their website at www.saadbemarking.co.za to acquire their excellent maize cultivars.