Bright Maize Business Manager Charlie Dolphin is interviewed about the 2026 maize season, what lies ahead for the company, and reflects on the company’s founder, David Bright.
Pressure on feedstocks at the start of 2026, a growing anaerobic digestion (AD) market, and the need to improve milk-from-forage performance have all contributed to Bright Maize’s sales growth this year.
A dry spring and a hot summer in 2025 led to drought conditions and significant yield losses across many southern and central UK regions, leaving many livestock farms short of silage. The result is a desire to rebuild reserves.
14% increase
Business manager, Charlie Dolphin, reports a 14% increase in maize seed sales compared with last year. He notes that this has been achieved against a backdrop of falling milk prices, with half of the business coming from new sales and the other half from existing customers.
“New business excites me because we are being given a chance to do what we say we will do with customers for the first time. But this never detracts from the importance of existing customers, whose loyalty and support we always seek to reward by delivering the best results,” he says.
“Forage is the most effective way to combat reduced margins, and multi-forage diets are typically more cost-effective than those based on a single forage. Where it can be grown successfully, maize is the first choice to complement grass silage and the best option to ensure a reliable forage supply.
“And as the mainstay for crop-based AD plants, maize, with its high gas output, has benefited from greater demand in this area – and this is set to continue,” he added.
Good establishment
Mr Dolphin also points out that the increased sales have occurred in a season which has seen hardly any redrilled maize, as establishment was good to excellent in the vast majority of cases.
Bright Maize currently supplies forage maize seed for around 20,000 ha in the UK, and says three-quarters of this comes from FAO maturity ratings 170 to 190. It cites Starlord, Clifford and MAS 075B – all within this band – as its best sellers, accounting for over 60% of sales.
While continuously looking to strengthen its offering for the earlier-maturity market, it believes that seed-bed preparation and timely application of fertiliser and agrichemical inputs are the overriding factors in determining yield, with FAO 170 varieties capable of yielding over 40 tonnes fresh weight per ha under good conditions.
Pressure to improve early varieties
“The gap between maturity and yield is narrowing due to breeding, but pressure to improve the performance of earlier-harvested maize will intensify as more growers develop crop rotations to accommodate other considerations, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI),” says Mr Dolphin.
“Its value as feed means cropping policies favour maize. Few farmers now say they may grow maize; it’s a firm commitment, and forage maize husbandry now resembles that of a cash crop like winter wheat.”
A people business
While breeding the right varieties is key, Bright Maize maintains that it is still a people business where candid conversations are sometimes needed, and however well geared you may be, problems can occur, from a broken bag to a crop failure.
“No company is exempt from the occasional difficulty. The crucial thing is how you respond to it. If it’s a serious issue, such as a crop failure – a rare occurrence, but one that has to be dealt with – a quick resolution is the priority,” comments Charlie.
“It’s not about which side is right or wrong, but about getting new seed on the farm ASAP and moving forward. Handling it properly will almost always strengthen the customer/supplier relationship.
“Suppliers also have to be receptive to circumstances such as payment terms. It’s all based on trust, and an agreement only works if both sides agree. A field specialist should have knowledge not only of maize seed and its cultivation, but also of its fertiliser requirements, inoculant treatment, and clamp management. In line with this, we now have a well-established inoculant range and are developing our starter fertiliser portfolio, which already includes our best-selling liquid fertiliser, Amplified,” he says.
Expansion
Bright Maize is expanding through a merger with Lidea, a top-10 global seed company established in 2020. Lidea resulted from the merger of two French agricultural cooperatives, Euralis Semences and the Caussade Semences Group. It specialises in multi-species seeds such as maize, sunflower, straw cereals, soybeans, sorghum, and rapeseed, and markets its seeds in over 65 countries.
The move will give Bright Maize an expanded product portfolio and greater geographical reach in the UK. It will also build on the already strong technical base, which is a core principle of adding value for the farmer.
Charlie, himself a graduate of Harper Adams, is a strong advocate for education and training, says:
“It’s great to be challenged on the farm. Most of those we deal with have further education qualifications, with many holding degrees and some even PhDs in related agricultural subjects. As our customers become more informed, so does the need for us to be knowledge-driven. Sometimes we can’t answer a question. The golden rule is not to blag it. Always commit to going back to the office and coming back with the answer – and always make sure that you do.”
David Bright
With Spring well underway, Charlie reflects that this is his favourite time of year, as it is for many involved in the growing calendar. This was also the case with Bright Seeds founder, David Bright, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
On June 5, nearly 400 customers, friends and family of David attended his memorial at Bright Seeds headquarters at Dean Lane Farm. There were plenty of stories and reminiscing about David’s life as a family man, a businessman, and a friend. Following a day celebrating a great and remarkable like, Charlie Dolphin said:
“I would like to pay homage to the great David Bright, who sadly passed away in March. Given another record year, it seems fitting. I also believe David would have enjoyed this one, a season to remember. I speak for the whole team when I say we will continue to uphold the Bright name to the best of our ability and endeavour to keep pushing the business forward. I’m certainly aware that I have some very, very large shoes to fill. May he rest in peace.”
