The table below gives indicative maize silage costings for both high and average fertility maize silage growing environments. High fertility environments include dairy paddocks coming out of good quality long-term pasture as well as paddocks with a history of effluent application. Average fertility environments include run-out pasture paddocks and repeat cropping blocks.

Always soil test maize paddocks and apply nutrients according to the results.

Use the "My costs" column in the table below to enter your own growing and harvesting costs for the coming maize growing season.

The majority of costs associated with growing maize silage are fixed and independent of yield. The higher the drymatter yield, the lower the cost per kilogram of drymatter. Use the my costs column to determine your growing and harvesting costs for this season. To move to the next box, either push the tab key or click in the next box.
			Average costs ($/ha)		My costs ($/ha)
	Growing cost		Average fertility	High fertility	My Farm
		Cost of leased land	?	?
		Soli test, other	7	7
		Spraying out pasture (including glyphosate)	68	68
		Lime @ 2.5 t/ha lime + application	151	0
		Base fertiliser	372	0
		Cultivation	363	363
		Pioneer® brand 34P88 maize seed @ 1.301 or 1.352 bags/ha	457	474
		FAR maize seed levy ($7.20/80,000 kernel bag @ 1.301 or 1.352 bags/ha)	9	10
		Seed insecticide treatment @ 1.301 or 1.352 bags/ha	147	153
		Starter fertiliser	229	0
		Planting	149	149
		Pre emergence weed control (herbicide + application)	122	122
		Sidedress application	68	0
		Sidedress nitrogen	183	0
		Interest on maize expenditure (7 months @ 7%)	95	55
	Total growing cost		$2,420	$1,401
	Harvest cost
		Harvesting and stacking	986	968
		Covering	178	178
		Pioneer ® brand 1132 maize specific inoculant	269	269
	Total havesting cost		$1,433	$1,433
	Total growing and havesting costs		$3,853	$2,834
	Expected yield and cost per unit
		Maize silage yield (tDM) in the stack
		Maize silage cost per kgDM in the stack (c/kgDM)
		Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)

Maize silage cost

Drymatter and megajoules of metabolisable energy

	Average fertility		Average fertility
Maize silage yield (tDM) in the stack	Maize silage cost per kgDM in the stack (c/kgDM)	Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)	Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)	Maize silage cost per MJME (c/MJME)
16	24.1	2.23	-	-
18	21.4	1.98	15.7	1.46
20	19.3	1.78	14.2	1.31
22	17.5	1.62	12.9	1.19
24	16.1	1.49	11.8	1.09
26	14.8	1.37	10.9	1.01
28	13.8	1.27	10.1	0.94
30	-	-	9.4	0.87

Maize silage growing and harvesting costs assumptions

1. Cost to grow, harvest and store the crop are estimates only.
2. Average land rentals have not been included due to regional variations (provision has been made for you to consider land rental in your own costing column).
3. The costs and benefits of regrassing have not been included.
4. Cost for Pioneer^® brand 1132 is based on inoculating a 22 tDM/ha crop.
5. Farmers growing Pioneer^® brand maize for silage for sale are usually responsible for costs up to and including the nitrogen sidedressing application.
6. Maize silage cost per MJME assumes an average maize silage energy content of 10.8 MJME/kgDM.
7. The amount of pasture lost during the maize growing season will vary between paddocks, farms and districts. The value of pasture lost during the maize growing season has not been considered in the calculation of the maize silage drymatter cost.
8. Costs are estimates based on a sample of contractor rates, other typical industry charges and product costs.
   All costs exclude GST and are indicative at 1 May 2011.