Mountview Farming Trust are continuously trying new approaches to keep improving their dairy farming operation. Led by Alastair Neville, Mountview Farming Trust run an Autumn calving herd of 340-350 Friesian cows.
Central to their operation is the utilisation of silage for winter milking, of which maize silage is a significant part of the diet. At peak they feed around 5kgDM/cow/day of maize.
In a move to try something different, Mountview Farming Trust incorporated kiwifruit into their maize silage stack from the 2024 harvest. Originally this was because the maize crop got frosted and they thought the kiwifruit would help get better compaction. Also, with the farm located in Reporoa, kiwifruit was readily available from the Bay of Plenty at an economical price, so ensiling it was a good opportunity to take advantage of the low-cost high value feed.
As a result, they were able to extend the typical kiwifruit feeding season out to October, when it would normally finish in May. Alastair was impressed with how the kiwifruit kept its quality in the stack. “It had a pickled-fruit smell and cows would still hunt for the fruit” he says. “It provided a win-win for the cows, with the kiwifruit increasing both palatability and feed value” he adds.
Collaborating with JW Carston Contractors Ltd, Mountview Farming Trust found it a relatively easy process to add the kiwifruit during maize harvest. Ninety wet tonne of kiwifruit was added in thin layers by Alastair in the JCB Telehandler, working with the stack driver so they were each on one half the stack at a time. While things went smoothly, it was however a busy time for Alastair who is right in the middle of calving as the maize was coming off.
The higher sugar and starch content of the kiwifruit/maize blend meant it was at a high risk of heating. They decided to use MAGNIVA® Platinum inoculant for the first time, to give the silage the best chance of fermenting well, while at the same time reducing mould and yeast activity. “There was no heating at all” said Alastair, who was happy with how the MAGNIVA® Platinum inoculant had performed on such a high-risk silage.
They also applied the SiloStop® Orange Oxygen Barrier Film under a black and white cover. Using the SiloStop® Orange proved to be a good investment, with “minimal wastage on the surface, and especially on wall edges of the concrete bunkers” Alastair says.
As Alastair Neville reflects on the success of the maize-kiwifruit experiment, he is keen to do it again this coming season. When asked “what next” for new innovations, Alastair says “this next year is more about refining what we do, doing the little things better. No drastic changes, but we are focusing on heat stress more and driving early lactation milk volume”.
Alaistair and fiancée Tamzyn are also entering the Dairy Industry Awards this year, and we wish them all the best in their preparation for judging.
Kiwifruit in the silage stack