As New Zealand dairy farms have intensified, their feed demand has become greater than the per-hectare pasture supply. Because of this, our farmers are using more supplementary feeds including home-grown or purchased forages and concentrates.

Maize is a premium quality grain which forms an important part of dairy feed rations. It’s becoming a popular feed due to its high energy content, slow digestion and local availability – making it the ideal in-shed supplement.

In fact, there are many great reasons for introducing it to your system.

Nutritional benefits

High energy content: maize grain provides more energy than other grains and concentrates.

Slow digestion: reduces the risk of acidosis compared to other grains.

Improved cow health: supports better body condition and reproductive performance.

Environmental benefits

Reduced nitrogen leaching: lower nitrogen content helps decrease urinary nitrogen levels.

Sustainable farming: locally grown maize supports local agriculture and reduces the risk of imported diseases.

Lower scope 3 emissions: imported maize grain has a higher environment cost due to the distance it has to travel and potentially less efficient growing practices.

Economic benefits

Cost-effective: stable pricing.

Convenient feeding: easy to feed through in-shed systems, saving time and labour.

Local benefits

Supports local grain growers: ask your feed company for locally grown maize grain.

Benefits the agricultural community: purchasing locally grown maize grain benefits other local farmers.

Reliability of supply: an established maize grain industry ensures year-round supply as and when required.

Maize grain is an excellent supplementary feed option for New Zealand dairy farmers. For more information on any aspect of feeding, processing or storing maize grain, read our Maize Grain for Dairy Cows manual below. If you are considering incorporating maize grain into your dairy system, talk to one of our Farm Systems Specialists.