Assessing Crop and Corn Silage Profile in Beef Cattle Farms in Southern Brazil: Ten Years’ Results

Abstract

This work aimed to investigate corn crop management practices and the quality of corn silage in beef cattle farms in southern Brazil during ten years of sampling. A total of 63 farms, located in 16 municipalities in Paraná state, Brazil, participated in the study of corn crop characterization, while the corn silages were obtained from 65 farms located in 18 municipalities in the same state. A total of 49 corn hybrids were identified, with a preference for early cycle hybrids (E) and semi-hard grain type (SH). The dataset was obtained between 2011 and 2020, and the average cycle of the identified hybrids ranged from 150 ± 14 days in 2012 to 134 ± 12 days in 2019, with a maximum amplitude of 182 days in 2012 and a minimum of 99 days in 2019 and 2020. The DM content of the plant at harvest ranged from 40.1% to 45.9% between the average of the years evaluated, with an average dry biomass yield of 25 t ha−1. The analyzed silages had average levels of aNDF and ADF within the expectation (45.6% and 26.2%, respectively) but with CP content below that commonly observed in corn silages (6.9%) due to the stage of advanced maturity at harvest. Based on this monitoring, we emphasize that the production of corn silage on beef cattle farms in southern Brazil faces specific challenges, which include outsourcing the provision of harvesting services. Above all, it was clear that there were no significant advances in the results obtained over ten years, raising concerns about interventions in the process.