Growing and feeding corn-bean mixtures can be an interesting alternative for German livestock farms

Growing maize in a mix with runner beans and feeding it to dairy cattle or pigs can be an interesting option for livestock farms, especially in organic farming. Various plant cultivation concepts are available for cultivation. Batch silages can be ensiled in a stable manner with low bean proportions of up to 20% and provide more crude protein than pure maize silages. These are the most important results of a six-year study by the Thünen Institute of Organic Agriculture in Trenthorst. The project was funded by the Federal Program for Organic Farming and Other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture (BÖLN). In terms of crop production, the simultaneous sowing of maize and string beans in alternating rows proved to be practicable, as was sowing a mixture in the same row. In organic cultivation, care should be taken to ensure that there is sufficient row spacing for later hoeing. Conventional farms must take into account that weed control is only possible in the pre-emergence phase. Low bean ...