Resources

A glass half full: UK milk consumption and trends: Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin delves into the white stuff and gauges its importance and role to the modern consumer. Milk has long been a staple in the British diet, forming a crucial part of daily nutrition. Understanding how milk…

Introduction The Labour Party’s victory in the UK general election marks a transformative period for the farming sector. With new leadership and a shift in policies, British farmers are keen to understand how these changes will affect their industry. This blog delves into Labour’s policies on food and farming, the…

As part of our pioneer series, we explore the legacy of John Froelich, the visionary inventor behind the world’s first gasoline-powered tractor. Froelich’s ground-breaking work revolutionised farming practices, paving the way for the modern agricultural machinery that drives today’s industry.   John Froelich and the Evolution of the Tractor: Revolutionising…

Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin looks at how UK maize crops are faring this year and finds that among a mixed bag some crops have performed exceptionally where good husbandry and favourable conditions have come together.  Forage maize growers who manged to catch a favourable window for drilling –…

With a focus on dairy, we explore key cattle breeds, beginning with the Jersey cow. In this series we will highlight a different breed’s unique role in UK dairy farming, from the high-yielding Holstein-Friesian to the resilient Ayrshire.   The Jersey Cow The Jersey cow holds a special place in…

Bright Maize’s Business Manager, Charlie Dolphin, observes that the maize crops doing best this year are those which were drilled into well prepared seed-beds which held sufficient moisture to support speedy germination and establishment. Such is the importance of drilling to all that follows; he jumps forward to talk about…

With moves afoot to address the mechanism by which milk price is set – intended to alleviate at least some of the concerns held by producers – Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin looks back at the UK dairy sector over the years. He starts with the inception of the…

In the second of our blogs looking at the UK dairy industry over the last 80 years, Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin looks at the remarkable changes in the management of the milking cow: and how this has influenced her performance and her role within the national herd. We…

With the volatility of our national politics showing no sign of abating, we thought it would be a good idea to look at Agri politics over the years – and specifically the Ministers and Secretaries who have presided over farming’s ups and downs in the postwar era. The drama and…

Bright Maize business manager, Charlie Dolphin, looks at this year’s maize campaign and highlights a couple of new varieties that appear among the 20 plus offerings available to growers in 2024 With a third of this year’s forage maize seed already bought, the bulk of sales will take place over…

As maize producers start thinking about the coming growing season, we thought it might be apt to take a global look at the many ways this most versatile of foods is served    Indigenous central Americans first domesticated maize from wild teosintes about 10,000 years ago in the Tehuacán Valley…

In the second blog on maize production in the UK, Bright Maize business manager Charlie Dolphin looks at the wider maize market, future prospects and the issues driving breeding programmes Forage maize was virtually unknown as a crop in the UK 60 years ago. Yet today maize is a vital…

Forage maize was virtually unknown as a crop in the UK 60 years ago. Yet today maize is a vital tool for many dairy farmers and its importance seems certain to increase further in the coming years. In this blog, Bright Maize looks at the factors driving the spread of…

With Biden and Trump set to go head-to-head in the US Presidential election in November, and the UK also confirmed to go to the polls this year to decide on its next Prime Minister, this blog looks at the evolving landscape of UK-US trade deals and the potential impact on…

It’s easy to forget what a remarkable plant maize is: a crop physically unlike any other whose history is as rich as it is surprising. This is a staple so important that it was once worshipped as a god – and yet it wouldn’t exist without human cultivation. There are…

When a sales advisor tells you to place your maize seed order early, you will do well to heed the advice this year. The shortage of maize seed in 2022 – not least because of the 40% yield reduction experienced last year – is real. It is true that suppliers…

Those worried about overindulging during the festive season might take solace from discovering the opulence of their forbears. Bright Maize takes a look at the culinary splendours enjoyed by some in the Regency period As Christmas comes around once more, it brings with it the reassurance of familiar traditions, and…

We are in the middle of a process of change that will have a major impact on almost every farmer in the United Kingdom over the next five years. What is it? The introduction of new systems for government support to farmers. In England, most payments will be made through…

On Monday the UK government and the European Union announced The Windsor Framework, a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Bright Maize has put together a question-and-answer briefing pack to explain what the Protocol is, how it has impacted UK farmers, what is in the proposed new deal, and what…

In the year of his 75th Birthday, we look at the major contribution David Bright – founder of Bright Seeds – has made to UK agriculture, particularly in the field of maize production and the environment This year marks the 75th birthday of one of the leading lights of modern…

Roger Evans writes his diary early in the morning, before breakfast. He has a fine view through his Shropshire farmhouse’s kitchen window: a pond in the middle distance, Canada geese, a far-off row of trees which Roger himself planted years before. Gomer the dog – and sometimes George the robin…

A couple of months into her journey, we look at how Amy Hart is tackling the job and the workload she has taken on… Amy Hart has joined Bright Maize to cover sales in East Anglia and Wales. She joins the company having had experience in the seed and equine…

Bright Maize Business Manager, Charlie Dolphin, looks at this this year’s maize season so far, and comments on the trends and challenges. He also observes that those who grow maize are becoming more discerning in their attitude towards the crop and how it is grown. The 2023 maize season so…

Demand for forage inoculant has increased year on year since Bright Maize introduced its own range of tailored products ten years ago. Business Manager, Charlie Dolphin, looks at how the story has unfolded over the last decade and why the sceptics have been proved wrong The subject of forage inoculant…

Bright Maize’s technical specialist Charlie Dolphin looks at what has most influenced the purchasing of maize seed in 2022 and what conclusions we might draw from the trends… Not that it has been for a long time; but the one thing 2022 has told us beyond doubt is that farming…

Last November, Bright Maize was a sponsor of The Carbon Conference which sought a premium for those producing food with a relatively low carbon footprint. Ben Williams, Sustainability Manager at Glanbia Cheese, Ltd, was one of the guests, and Bright Maize caught up with him to gauge his current thoughts on…

As part of our pioneer series, we look at one of the UK’s leading agricultural educationalists, Dr Tony Harris, who died earlier this year and believed agrobusiness alumni should rank alongside the best of any other industry  The high standing of Harper Adams University, the leading agricultural teaching establishment, is…

Dr Tom Adair – a writer living in France – reviews this book for Bright Maize.  The contents of the book do not necessarily reflect the views of Bright Maize, its employees or others associated with the company.  Why do birds matter? There are scientific – good scientific – answers…

Forage and grazing can determine the difference between profit and loss on livestock farms where margins are under constant pressure. With no inputs exempt from our inflationary times, Mike Sims – recently appointed to Bright Maize as grass specialist – tells us about the role of grassland management in achieving…

Food inflation hasn’t been going up this quickly for over a decade – and the worst is yet to come. A flurry of recent studies furnish some statistics. Consumer group Which? found that supermarket groceries in February this year were on average 3.14% more expensive than they had been three…

Why make the most of grass…? First and foremost, it’s a lucrative resource. As Charlie Dolphin writes in the introduction to our new grass seed brochure, grass is ‘the livestock farmer’s most sustainable, cost-effective feed’. There are other reasons too – it’s very good for the soil and crucial for…

Feeding the nation has more or less been taken for granted in the post war years; but that premise is now being challenged as pressure mounts on production, supply chains and retail prices. We thought it would be worth revisiting by way of this review the subject of a previous…

Lord Rayleigh’s Farms is known today as a successful farming and property company based on the Terling Estate, near Chelmsford, in Essex. It takes its name from the Barons Rayleigh, a title created for the Strutt family of Terling Place by George IV in 1821. The third Baron – and…

Renowned international seed company Mas Seeds has been developing and supplying maize to distributors and wholesalers for decades. But its acquisition of Bright Maize in 2018 brought with it a new challenge: selling directly to UK farmers. Gonzague de Carrère is Mas Seeds’ commercial and marketing director for Northern Europe.…

Bright Maize is among those sponsoring The Carbon Food Conference in London this week. Instigated by Carmarthenshire dairy farmer Sion Davies, we look at the speakers and the topics on the agenda As net zero targets loom ever larger, more and more of us are reflecting on the environmental toll…

Following Bright Maize’s sponsorship of a successful carbon food conference last week, we look at some of the current challenges associated with attaching a carbon footprint to different food types. Carbon consciousness has gone mainstream. We’re these days as likely to be concerned by the environmental impact of the food…

It’s the time of year for reviewing past progress – and for planning ahead. Farmers will be looking to learn from this year’s harvest in order to optimise the next. Did performance match expectation? How did the cold, wet start to 2021 affect drilling plans? Was the choice of site…

As UK farmers adapt to post-Brexit trade deals with the EU and others, it seems that supply disruptions – for the most part at least – have been navigated with relative success: the Northern Ireland Protocol, on the other hand, continues to be problematic. Here, Bright Maize looks at the…

Maize is an exceptional forage for ruminant livestock: palatable, digestible and energy-rich. Most breeders who’ve tried it are quickly convinced, which is why maize growing is so popular in the UK.  Getting the best out of maize requires careful – and constantly fine-tuned – crop and harvest management. When it…

In the second instalment of our series Maize Growing: the Core Skills we turn to the twin themes of weed control and fertilizer application – as important as each other when it comes to the achievement of consistent, high yields. Weed control Weeds compete with crops for the limited resources…

The third and final installment in our series Maize Growing: the Core Skills looks at the principles behind harvesting the crop for silage. Having cultivated the healthiest possible yield, you will now want to turn that into the best possible end product.   Harvesting When to harvest? It’s a crucial…

Earlier this year, we were delighted to welcome on board agronomist Charlie Dolphin as our new technical adviser. We asked him for a few moments of his time to get to know him better.   You started with Bright Maize in February. How is it going? Really good. I’m really…

We were saddened to hear of the passing, on 15 April, of Henry Plumb. Lord Plumb was a friend of David and Sue Bright, who founded Bright Seeds in the 1980s, and the support he showed David’s pioneering work with maize over the years was always deeply valued. His loss…

Working with our partners to deliver products that lead the field is a fundamental principle of Bright Maize; here we look at the science behind the Biogas Max inoculant range for anaerobic digestion, and talk to the lead researcher. Growing crops specifically for anaerobic digestion (AD) has emerged as an…

Today’s seed drills are a feat of sophisticated engineering and a vital tool of modern farming; but who was the man behind the first seed drill and how did his invention change farming forever? Today, the idea of agriculture without mechanisation is unthinkable. And yet there was – of course…

It wasn’t that long ago that the plough was the most important implement on the arable farm, or the livestock farm come to that. Things have changed a bit since then; not to the extent that the plough is no longer significant – it is; but in the machinery pecking…

With the Australian trade deal and the new agricultural act heralding a new post-Brexit world, we take a look at what UK farmers can expect in the coming years. Compared with the down-to-the-wire drama of last year’s negotiations with the EU, the UK’s talks with Australia were orderly and cordial.…

As part of our pioneer series, we cast the spotlight on an industrialist and politician whose influence on farming was later challenged by one of his distinguished descendants. It was a much-noticed irony of the career of the late Peter Mond, 4th Baron Melchett (1948-2018), that he came from a…

2021 is the year of the UK’s presidency of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. It’s in Glasgow in November, therefore, that, for the twenty-sixth such meeting of its kind, the world’s governments will assemble to review progress against global warming, and (as per the 2016 Paris Agreement) towards ensuring…

Following on from our last blog, we look at the specific challenges of achieving net zero in agriculture by 2050… The impact of agriculture on the environment is both significant – in the UK it accounts for about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions – and fundamentally different in kind…

In July the headlines were back, accompanied by images of empty supermarket shelves. There was talk of supply chains ‘starting to fail’ and rumours of panic buying. Apologies to consumers from industry bosses kept pace with calls for calm. It was a state of affairs that should have surprised no…

It was an unfamiliar, even puzzling, sight when it first appeared on grocers’ shelves in the early 1950s. But the distinctively shaped Tetra Pak paper carton would so transform the possibilities for milk storage and distribution that the Institute of Food Technologists would later call it ‘the most important food…

As part of our pioneer series, we look at an agricultural educationist who set up Wiltshire and Hampshire Agricultural College – soon renamed Downton Agricultural College Agriculture is as old as civilisation itself; and agricultural wisdom has been developed and handed down through the ages. But as a formally taught…

As the UK exits from the EU, the Common Agricultural Policy will be replaced by a domestic farm policy which looks radically different. DEFRA’s Environmental Land Management scheme (ELM) shifts the focus from farm production to restoring wild habitats, creating new woodlands, rehabilitating soils and reducing pesticide use. This is…

With more than 35 years’ experience in the sector Richard Leach believes in conserving the traditional values of agricultural trade while embracing innovation that will help UK farmers gain the best returns by careful selection of variety and site location. Work in the agricultural sector can offer freedoms the city…

Food retailing trends are highly relevant to maize growers, over 90% of whom are milk producers, because changes in consumer buying habits of dairy products will influence the terms of the contracts on which they sell their milk. For this latest blog, Farm Zone, Bright Maize’s in-house blog, takes a…

Mark Woodin runs a large privately owned estate, Chilton Home Farms on the Buckinghamshire/ Oxfordshire border. He came from a farming family, and has seen long service at Chilton, where he started working 30 years’ ago, at the age of 24. The estate is a mixed dairy and arable concern,…

As part of our ‘pioneers in agriculture’ series we take a look at Joseph Elkington: the man who transformed the agricultural landscape through his work in land drainage. ‘Pioneer of Land Drainage’ is the phrase found on the modest monument to Joseph Elkington that stands in All Saints’ churchyard in…

The list of pesticide and fungicide seed treatments now banned across the EU and in the UK has never been longer. But legislation welcomed by the environmentalist lobby has, for the custodians of the crops affected, brought with it some very demanding challenges. We asked consultant agronomist Chris Batchelor for…

These days we call it ‘food security’: the idea of safeguarding an availability of food – enough food, and food of the right kind – for all. Thanks, variously, to Brexit, Covid-19 and climate change, it’s an idea that’s been much in the news. Last summer, a cross-party group of…

A cautionary note sometimes given to farmers thinking of diversifying is to make sure they don’t take their eye off the core business and spread themselves too thinly. Such an error was never going to be the case for one Buckinghamshire farm business, who have not looked back since combining…

Having featured George Stapleton as one of our farming pioneers in July 2020, here we review his highly acclaimed book which resonates still today, nearly 90 years after its publication. Rural Britain is a neglected asset. Historic underinvestment has left it underproductive – in terms, at least, of how much…

Next in our pioneer series we look at the colourful character of Joseph Arch, the trade unionist from Warwickshire who championed the rights of agricultural workers Today, the collective interests of British agricultural workers are represented by Unite’s Food, Drink and Agricultural sector. It’s the direct successor of the Agricultural…

In part three of Farm Zone’s ‘pioneers in agriculture’ series, we cover the life of grassland scientist George Stapledon  Previous articles in the series have looked at the lives of George Barham, founder of the Express Country Milk Company; and Tom Williams and the 1947 Agricultural Act. George Stapledon was…

Frans de Boer is managing director at DB Agri Ltd, based at Wappingthorn Farm, farming 800 acres, with an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant in West Sussex. He is also an advisor for Bright Maize customers – selling Bright Maize seed to other AD plants and helping operators understand what they…

Back in 1958, Bill, an evacuee from London, and Peggy Ives, newly-married with little farming experience, took on the tenancy at Park Farm on the Herriard estate, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. Bill and Peggy decided that the best way to optimise their income was to go into dairy farming. They soon…

His name lives on in the famous Massey Ferguson tractors. But Harry Ferguson wasn’t just the owner of one agricultural machinery company that merged with another back in 1953. He was by that stage coming to the end of a long and colourful career, one filled with drama and invention.…

In spite of the scourge of Coronavirus currently sweeping the land, Bright Maize, one of the biggest UK suppliers of maize seed, managed to hold its Open Day on Wednesday 2nd September at Fovant, near Salisbury. This was a bold move, and one of the first farming events to have…

 Continuing our series looking at the people who make Bright Maize a success, here we speak to Laura Drury – Commercial Manager Managing change is the kind of challenge which Laura Drury relishes. She recently took over as commercial manager at Bright Maize, tasked with leading the company through the…

Part five of our ‘pioneers in agriculture’ series takes a look at some interesting aspects of the life of John Mechi – founder of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution  Those who have had dealings with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution may have come across the name of John Mechi –…

Following on from Bright Maize’s successful recent open day, we spoke to Tim Stephens of Wessex Water, and took a broader look at nitrate pollution… We all know something about the problems of water pollution from agriculture. When chemicals from pesticides and excess nutrients from fertiliser and manure leave the…

Strip-tilling is currently seeing something of a resurgence, and, in many situations, the farmers using it are getting some very pleasing results. However, the practice is not for everyone and, in this article, Farm Zone talks to Frans de Boer, managing director at DB Agri in Sussex, to take a…

The UK has spent much of 2020 working on its future trading relationships with the rest of the world. It’s been a year of talks – most urgently with the EU, whose single market and customs union we are bound to leave at the end of the year – and…

What are the issues in dairy farming at the moment? And is diversification one of the solutions? At Farm Zone, we recently spoke to Nunton Farm Dairy – a key customer of Bright Maize – to find out. Nunton Farm Dairy is a 1,200 acre dairy operation near Salisbury run…

By Laura Drury – Commercial Manager, Bright Maize It was a great pleasure for Bright Maize to be able to sponsor Maize Conference 2020, the annual event organised by the Maize Growers’ Association which took place at Hilton East Midlands Airport Hotel near Derby in early February. I thoroughly enjoyed…

One of the keynote speakers at the recent annual Maize Grower’s Association conference, which this year was sponsored by Bright Maize, was Phil Garnsworthy – Professor of Dairy Science at the University of Nottingham. Prof. Garnsworthy offered deep insights into the challenges and opportunities facing UK dairy, so Farm Zone…

This is the first of a series of posts that Farm Zone will be writing in the coming months on pioneers in the agricultural sector. Each article will look at a significant player in British agriculture from recent history – some well known, some less so. This article looks at…

The coronavirus crisis raises many questions for farming and the wider agricultural community. For the immediate future, many farmers are worried. Can they keep working? Can they hire the labour that will be needed for rapidly approaching harvests? Are we going to be able to import vital inputs such as…

Farm Zone speaks to dairy farmer and kennel owner John Bayley, to find out how the agricultural economy is faring during the coronavirus crisis. John Bayley – together with his son Richard – has just taken succession of the tenancy of the 600-acre Castle Farm. The main enterprise is dairy,…

In this second part of Farm Zone’s ‘pioneers in agriculture’ series, we look at the life of George Barham – founder of Express Dairies Express Dairies was, in its day, one of the biggest names in the business. Back when milk floats did the rounds, its distinctive blue and white…

As the coronavirus crisis continues, it’s easy to forget that the UK government is in the middle of renegotiating its trading relationships with the rest of the world. The country finally leaves the European single market and customs union on December 31 (the end of the transition period). From that…

An interview with Rod Crossley, Senior Technical Advisor at Bright Maize What is your day-to-day job at Bright Maize? I see my role as being a link between the farmer/farm manager and the maize seed producer. I spend a lot of time in the field, as it were, working alongside…

Last year’s government report on the state of the environment for soil drew attention to a number of soil-related, including soil compaction, issues which particularly concern the farming community. At Farm Zone, we have produced this blog post to inform Bright Maize customers about findings of the report.  Prominent among…

Bright Maize will be producing a regular blog which will focus on issues affecting farming and the wider world. Apart from keeping readers abreast of the latest developments on matters such as seed varieties, drilling, spraying and harvesting; it will cover subjects as far ranging as Brexit, consumer trends, International…

Farm Zone looks at why some farmers suffering heavy flea beetle attack in their oilseed rape should abandon hopes of a harvest and plant a maize crop whilst there is still time. Flea beetle has already condemned yields to derisory levels in some cases. A high proportion of dead and…

Farm Zone spoke to Ben Dolbear – a technical specialist with Bright Seeds – to hear his views on agriculture in New Zealand following a recent month-long visit to the country.  Farm Zone: Why did you visit New Zealand?  Ben Dolbear: As an agriculturalist, I’ve always been keen to visit…

Maize originated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago Introduction Maize is one of the world’s most important crops – responsible for roughly six percent of human calorie intake. Beyond human consumption it has a variety of uses, including for use as livestock feed, for fermentation for the American alcohol industry,…

It is sometimes said that there have been 3 agricultural revolutions or trends. The first was the adoption of modern agriculture in the 18th Century which involved the application of scientific principles, such as crop rotation, to dramatically increase yields. The second was the adoption of mechanised farm tools in…

Animal products have an image problem. For a long time, there has been increasing consumer concern about farm animal welfare. More recently, this has been bolstered with a growing focus on environmental concerns. A spate of alarmist news stories were published last year in the wake of David Attenborough’s Blue…

In the modern era, when we think of farm dogs, we tend to think of medium to large dogs that specialise in herding livestock, particularly sheep. But in the past, dogs of all breeds and shapes and sizes were to be found on farms. In fact, almost all dog breeds…

Oilseed rape has had a bad time of it recently and it looks as though planting this year is going to be 10% down – which will mean it has hit a 16-year low. This is down to two factors: last year’s very dry autumn, coupled with excessive flea beetle…

The good Dairy farming is a motor for the rural economy In the UK, 13,000 dairy farmers manage nearly 2 million dairy cows to produce over 14 billion litres of milk each year with a wholesale value of £8.8 billion. And that’s before it has been processed into saleable milk,…

With the unusually warm weather, followed by the current extremely wet patch, Farm Zone has produced an overview of the current state of the 2019 maize harvest:  The maize harvest started on time… but for many was delayed The maize harvest was widely predicted to happen early this year, but…

Dairy farms are currently witnessing a major increase in demand for raw milk (unpasteurised, unhomogenised milk). This is driven by many factors. Raw milk has been the subject of a wave of recent research which argues that it carries strong health and nutritional benefits. Although the results of such research…

It has recently been reported that oilseed rape prices are set to rise in 2020. In this article, Farm Zone explores the reasons for the predicted price rises, and the likelihood that they will come to pass. A declining domestic crop In the UK, the rapeseed crop is in decline.…

Like every other sector in the economy, automation is coming to agriculture. But what does it mean for the small family farm? Will autonomous farming favour the big corporate agri-producers, putting the family farmer at a disadvantage, or will it reduce costs on small farms and help them out? Perhaps…

In a remote corner of Ukraine, a highly automated facility processes seed day and night The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast region in central Ukraine is extremely remote. It boasts some of the most fertile agricultural land in the world – with wide expanses of deep, black soil. The region also hosts a…

A recent visit to a Ukrainian mega dairy was an eye-opener for UK farmers In the UK, so-called super dairies have caused significant controversy, with local communities often banding together to oppose their construction entirely. This is not the case in the Ukraine, as a group of Bright Maize customers…

The benefits of precision drilling are strong, particularly for maize. Farm Zone spoke to Rod Crossley, senior technical advisor at Bright Maize, to find out the reality about precision drilling. Farm Zone (FZ): Which crops benefit the most from precision drilling? Rod Crossley (RC): Maize is notoriously uncompetitive, especially in…

by Rod Crossley, senior technical advisor at Bright Maize Maize growers in the UK are faced with two big issues this year. The obvious one is the unusual weather. The second issue is smaller in scope but no less important, and that is seed dressings. In this article, I’ll start…

At Bright Maize, we think one of the biggest advantages of buying from us is our strong business partnership with French seed producer and agricultural cooperative Mas Seeds. At Bright Maize we look for suppliers who are fully committed to UK growers, and who have a strong commitment to research…